The No. 1 seed Toronto Raptors defeated the No. 8 Washington Wizards, 114-106, on Saturday, April 14, in the opening day of the 2018 NBA Playoffs. The score evenly matched the eight-point spread, and the game went over the total of 211 points.
With the win, Toronto, which finished with the best regular-season record in the Eastern Conference, takes a 1-0 series lead. Odds for Game 2 will soon be released by BetDSI Sportsbook, but we anticipate the line will be very narrow, as Game 1 was a highly competitive affair.
The teams will compete in Game 2 in Toronto before the series moves to Washington.
Toronto Pulled Away
Washington led at the half, 59-55. DeMar DeRozan had only five points and Kyle Lowry had only two at the break. Meanwhile, Washington’s star — John Wall — was outstanding. He posted 13 points and 10 assists in the opening 24 minutes.
Toronto pulled ahead by winning the third quarter, 31-26. The Raptors iced the game by outscoring Washington in the final frame, 28-21.
Toronto sealed the win when Bradley Beal missed an open three-pointer with Washington trailing, 112-104, with just over 30 seconds remaining.
Serge Ibaka led the Raptors with 23 points and 10 rebounds, but Toronto had a balanced scoring attack. Toronto’s high-powered offense (which ranked third in the NBA with an offensive efficiency rate of 111.6) was solid.
DeRozan totaled 17 points and six assists. Delon Wright came off the bench to chip in 18 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter.
Wall led Washington with 23 points and 15 assists.
Toronto played without Sixth Man of the Year candidate Fred Van Vleet. The former Wichita State Shockers standout is expected to be back for Game 2.
It was a sloppy game. Toronto committed 17 turnovers and Washington committed 13. The Raptors won the rebounding battle, 38-35.
The Raptors had gone 0-10 in their last 10 Game 1 matchups in the NBA Playoffs.
The teams split the regular-season series, 2-2. The second game of the series is set for Tuesday at 7 p.m. EST.
