Andrea Bargnani’s career-high 33 points leads Raptors over Wizards
Posted March 18, 2011 10:09 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Andrea Bargnani had a career-high 33 points Friday as the Toronto Raptors defeated the Washington Wizards 116-107.
DeMar DeRozan scored 30 points and Jose Calderon added 17 for Toronto (19-49), while Reggie Evans chipped in with a game-high 15 rebounds.
Trevor Booker had 26 points and 13 rebounds for Washington (16-51), while fellow rookies Jordan Crawford and John Wall added 25 and 21 points, respectively. Wall had seven assists.
Bargnani, who also set a career-high for free throws made with 15, hit a pair of three-pointers to reach 500 for his career. He joins Vince Carter (554) and Morris Peterson (801) as the third Raptor to pass the milestone.
The Raptors handed the Wizards their 13th loss in 14 games and extended their league-worst road record to 1-31. The Raptors improved to 14-22 at home.
The win halted a two-game skid for the Raptors and tied the season series with the Wizards.
Washington started the fourth quarter on an 11-2 run to cut Toronto’s lead to two points at 100-98 with less than three minutes left. But Bargnani’s two free throws at 2:30 put the Raptors ahead 102-98 and subsequent successful trips to the line for Evans and Leandro Barbosa, pushed the lead to 106-98 with 2:03 to go. DeRozan’s jumper with 43.5 left sealed it.
The Raptors led 88-77 after the third with Bargnani scoring 11 points and DeRozan adding eight.
The Wizards made a 14-0 run at 7:40 in the second to take the lead 43-37 for the first time in the quarter. Toronto rallied back behind 50 per cent shooting from the field to take a 62-53 advantage going into halftime.
The Raptors led 33-27 after the first quarter, paced by 12 points from Bargnani and 10 from DeRozan.
Amir Johnson returned to the Raptors starting line up after missing three games with a sprained ankle. The Raptors were without Linas Kleiza (right knee surgery) and Julian Wright (inactive).
The Wizards missed starters Andray Blatche (strained right shoulder), Nick Young (bruised left knee), as well as Josh Howard, (left knee tendinitis), Rashard Lewis, (sore right knee) and Cartier Martin (right patella tendinitis).
Notes: Toronto departs on a five-game Western Conference road trip starting in Oklahoma City on Sunday. … Toronto wore their green jersey’s in honour of St. Patrick’s Day. … Actor Samuel L. Jackson attended the game.
