Explosive start sparks Raptors to first winning streak since February

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In the penultimate home game of a wretched season, the Raptors decided to play the ultimate team game.

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Granted, Toronto’s opposition Sunday night was the Washington Wizards, who have turned losing into an art form.

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The same description also applies to the Raptors, who ended a miserable 15-game losing streak Friday night when they went into Milwaukee and got plenty of bang for their buck in beating the Bucks, who inexplicably lost to the Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies earlier in the week.

Clearly, there’s something much more troubling with the playoff-bound Bucks.

As for the Wizards and Raptors, it was remarkable to see fans in the stands at Scotiabank Arena given the poor quality of play each team has shown for what seems like the entire season. Mind you, Sunday’s game did draw one of the sparsest crowds of the season as the Raptors prevailed 130-122.

At least they got to witness the most points scored by the Raptors in the opening quarter this season when the home side produced 42 in quickly playing with a double-digit lead. They also got see a video tribute for Vince Carter, a fitting acknowledgment for VC’s Hall of Fame recognition.

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Fans seating in the south side of the arena were denied when some kind of technical glitch resulted in the overhead Raptor-vision going dark.

With the Raptors franchise entering its 30th season in the NBA this fall, expect a more elaborate celebration to honour Vinsanity. Until then, diehard fans of the team can only dream of better times having endured so many nights of bad basketball this season that often ended in lopsided scores.

During a hideous March stretch, the Raptors joined the 1971 Sixers as the only team in NBA history to lose two home games by more than 40 points. In Toronto’s most recent home tip played last Tuesday against LeBron James and the L.A. Lakers, the Raptors lost by 17 points. At least they got see the King in action for the first time in two years and Anthony Davis for the first time in six years.

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There was nothing to see from Washington and plenty to see from the Raptors, who looked like an offensive juggernaut when they imposed their will on the woeful Wizards.

Toronto’s starting five, featuring Ochai Agbaji, RJ Barrett, Kelly Olynyk, Immanuel Quickley and Gary Trent Jr., looked quite good despite being size deficient. It didn’t take long for all five starters to score.

Once Gradey Dick was summoned off the bench, the rookie heaved shots in rhythm with assertiveness and confidence. A deep Dick make with 2:11 left in the opening period would give the Raptors a 42-13 lead. Then came an extended dry spell that would see the Raptors unable to make a single shot to end the period, a stretch of inefficiency that would spill into the second quarter.

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To recap the Raptors’ early game explosion and subsequent implosion, consider the team made 16 of its first 24 attempts to produce 42 points. In the ensuing 10 minutes, the Raptors went 2-for-19 to score four points.

By halftime, the Raptors led 63-50.

Every Toronto starter, save for Agbaji, reached double-digits in scoring. Quickley, who came one assist shy of recording a triple-double in Milwaukee, continued to display an overall game by dishing off seven assists at intermission, while scoring 12 points and hauling down five rebounds.

It was expected that Toronto’s red-hot start could not be sustained, but the Raptors did show, when a somewhat healthier roster is available, they can beat up on an inferior opponent, for what that’s worth.

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In the context of an historically awful campaign, one must find comfort in small victories, such as the 17 points scored by Washington in the first quarter, the lowest by any Toronto foe produced in the opening 12 minutes this season.

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When the second half began, Washington got an open look from distance on the opening possession and buried a three-pointer to make it a 10-point game.

Toronto had not won at home since March 3 when the Raptors barely held off the Charlotte Hornets, the same night Jakob Poeltl injured his hand. Toronto had not won two games in a row since a five-day stretch in late February when it strung together three in succession, the longest win streak of the season that began with a home win over Brooklyn before road wins in Atlanta and Indiana.

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The Pacers will be in town Tuesday when the Raptors close out the home portion of their schedule before heading out on the road for the season’s final three games, a trip that begins in Brooklyn and ends in Miami with two tips versus the Heat.

There’s no one on Washington comparable to Jimmy Butler, whose knack for taking his game to a very high level come playoff time is well documented.

Sunday night, Jordan Poole and Deni Avdija did a decent impersonation minus, naturally, the post-season backdrop. Through three quarters, the two combined to score 51 of Washington’s 87 points as the Raptors led by 12 on the strength of Olynyk, Quickley and Barrett each reaching the 20-point total.

The IQ/RJ tandem accounted for 10 of the team’s 13 turnovers.

No one should make much of the night other than it at least provided the Raptors with their 25th win of the season and a very rare occasion to celebrate two wins in a row.

The night ended with Avdija leading all scorers with 32 points. Poole added 29 in the loss, while Quickley’s 31 points led the Raptors.

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