Raptors take 3-2 series lead with 108-98 victory over Washington

The Toronto Raptors are one win away from the Eastern Conference semifinals.

DeMar DeRozan scored 32 points as Toronto pulled away over the final few minutes to beat the Wizards 108-98 on Wednesday. The Raptors will take a 3-2 lead in their seven-game series back to Washington for Friday’s Game 6.

Kyle Lowry finished with 17 points and 10 assists, while Delon Wright scored 18 points off the bench, and Jonas Valanciunas had 14 points and 13 rebounds.

John Wall led the Wizards with 26 points, while Bradley Beal added 20.

Through the first three quarters, Washington seemed the hungrier team in a back-and-forth battle that saw neither team lead by double digits until the game’s last couple of minutes. The Wizards were winning most of the loose balls and dominating the boards, outrebounding Toronto 50-35.

But after losing two games in Washington, the Raptors returned to Toronto with confidence in their homecourt that had seen them lose just seven times in the regular season.

The Raptors clutched a one-point lead into the fourth quarter in front of a nervous Air Canada Centre crowd of 19,987 that included Drake and Canadian swimming star Penny Oleksiak. Thousands more anxious fans gathered outside in Maple Leaf Square to watch both the Raptors and Toronto Maple Leafs play on the big screens.

When Kelly Oubre converted a three-point play, it gave the Wizards a five-point lead, but with 6:49 to play Valanciunas stole the ball off Wall, and DeRozan finished the play with a emphatic dunk, bringing the fans to their feet with a roar.

The fans would stay on their feet as Wright first hit a three, then scored on a layup on Toronto’s next trip down the floor, putting the Raptors up by six with 2:58 to play. Valanciunas scored on a layup just over a minute later to make it a 10-point game, flexing his muscles as he ran back down the floor. Miles scored a three with 41 seconds left, the punctuation mark on a thrilling ending.

The Raptors cruised to wins in Games 1 and 2 _ by scores of 114-106 and 130-119 _ but their figurative wheels fell off when the series switched to Washington for Games 3 and 4.

The Wizards clobbered Toronto 122-103 in Game 3, then came from behind to beat the Raptors 106-98 in Game 4 to even the series, and force a Game 6, which will be Friday at Capital One Arena. Game 7, if necessary, will be back in Toronto.

A moment of silence was held before tipoff for those who died in Monday’s horrific van attack in Toronto that left 10 dead, and 14 injured, and both teams held black #Torontostrong banners during the anthems. The two teams, plus the NBA, are donating to a fund set up to help the families affected by the attack.

The Raptors missed their first three shots of the game, but then made six of their next seven. DeRozan had 13 points in the first quarter and his driving layup gave Toronto a six-point lead. But the Wizards closed with a run capped by Wall’s shot at the buzzer that put Washington up 24-23 heading into the second.

The Wizards led by five early in the second, but the Raptors responded with a 18-6 run to go ahead by seven. Washington ended the half on an 11-5 run, and Beal’s three with 10 seconds left cut the Raptors’ lead at halftime to just 48-47.

The Wizards shot 61 per cent in the third quarter, while the Raptors had five three-pointers to lead by one with a quarter left.