Toronto Raptors fall in preseason action to Washington Wizards

The Toronto Raptors started hot against the Washington Wizards in their second preseason game, but they ultimately fell short 113-95 at Capital One Arena on Friday.

Toronto started the game on an 11-2 run and ended the first quarter leading 25-18. However, the Raptors were outscored 95-70 the rest of the way, mostly because of their inability to connect from deep.

The Dinos ended the night 7-for-33 (21.2%) from downtown, while the Wiz shot 17-for-43 (39.5%) from beyond the arc.

As you would expect in the preseason, it was a sloppy one. The two teams combined for 43 turnovers, 57 fouls, and shot 40.3 percent from the field as a pair.

Despite the loss, there were some positives for your Raptors, let’s get into them.

Welcome back, Scottie Barnes

It was Scottie Barnes’ first game in over seven months, and he played like he’s been itching to get back out there right from the tip. The first three Raptors’ offensive possessions featured the 23-year-old first getting to the lane and finishing with a physical layup, draining a mid-range pull-up, before finding a streaking Jakob Poeltl in the middle of the floor for the easy lay.

The West Palm Beach, Fla. native finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, two steals, and one assist in only 20 minutes.

However, he got into foul trouble early, tallying three in the first six minutes. Still, he was super impactful, especially off-ball defensively. He snagged two steals by getting his dangly arms into passing lanes before converting on his signature look-back at the trailing defenders while laying it up.

It was overall a solid game from Barnes, who had been missing from camp due to a personal matter.

Big Boucher night

Chris Boucher came to play last night.

Out of Toronto’s seven made triples, the 31-year-old hit three of them, only missing one shot from deep while finishing with 22 points and seven rebounds in only 18 minutes.

He provided energy and play finishing like he typically does while leading the game in scoring.

This is the second straight game the Montreal, Que. native has looked good, going for 13 points, six rebounds, one block, and cashing in on 3-of-5 from downtown in front of his hometown last week.

Super Shead continues to impress

The 45th overall pick from the 2024 NBA draft, Jamal Shead, impressed once again.

The counting stats weren’t all that impressive, only putting up six points, two assists, and one steal, but his impact went beyond the stat sheet.

While the talk around the former Naismith Defensive Player of the Year has been about his defence (and for good reason), his passing has stood out as well.

His pace and poise have been impressive with the ball in his hands, especially in pick and roll. He has a polished screen game and offers more than just stellar point-of-attack defence. He has also shown the ability to get downhill and make the right play, whether it’s kicking it out or taking it to the rim.

The shot needs to improve, however. The 22-year-old didn’t shoot over 31 percent at any point throughout his four-year college career and is yet to make a long bomb this preseason, going 0-for-7 thus far.

Other notable performances

Jakob Poeltl: 10 points, three assists, two rebounds, one steal

Davion Mitchell: three points, six assists, four rebounds.

Corey Kispert: 20 points, five rebounds, 4-for-7 from three.

Kyle Kuzma: 22 points, six rebounds, three assists.

Bilal Coulibaly: 13 points, four rebounds, three steals, two assists.

Up next for Toronto is the Boston Celtics on Sunday. The remainder of Toronto’s preseason schedule is here.

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