Toronto, ON – It might already be too late for the suddenly hot Washington Wizards.
Bradley Beal had 20 points and six rebounds in the Wizards' 90-84 win over the Toronto Raptors.
"He's been so consistent for us over the past two months on bringing it every night on both ends of the floor," Washington guard A.J. Price said of Beal.
The Wizards, who began the season 0-12, have won seven of their last nine games and 14-of-23 overall. Washington improved to 18-37 on the campaign.
John Wall added 10 points, seven assists and five rebounds in the win.
DeMar DeRozan netted 25 points to lead Toronto, which had won six of its previous seven tilts coming in.
"It was a stinker. They whipped us. They outworked us. We tried to turn it on, but they got us," Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said.
Rudy Gay was just 1-of-11 from the floor, turned the ball over five times and netted seven points in defeat.
The Raptors trailed by as many as 12 in the final frame, but clawed within 83-78 with 1:04 to go after DeRozan split a pair from the foul line. But Wall drove in for a layup at the other end and Toronto missed four consecutive shots on its ensuing possession before Wall hit two free throws to seal the outcome.
Washington took a 17-16 edge after a quarter of play, a 40-32 advantage into the break and a 63-54 cushion after three.
Game Notes
Washington, which last won in Toronto on Dec. 1, 2009, snapped a five-game slide at the Air Canada Centre ... The Wizards were 7-of-12 from beyond the arc.
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