WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The Toronto Raptors punched their ticket to the second round of the NBA playoffs on Friday with a 102-92 victory over the Washington Wizards.
The Raptors notched the first road win of the Eastern Conference first-round series to eliminate the Wizards four games to two.
Kyle Lowry scored 24 points to lead the Raptors, who trailed by five going into the fourth quarter but outscored the flagging Wizards 29-14 in the final period.
DeMar DeRozan added 16 points and Jonas Valanciunas chipped in 14 for Toronto, who will face either the Cleveland Cavaliers or Indiana Pacers in the second round.
Bradley Beal paced the Wizards with 32 points and John Wall added 23, but it wasn’t enough for a Washington team that coughed up 14 turnovers and connected on just four of 16 shots from the field in the fourth quarter.
Wall missed all four of his shots in the fourth as the Raptors rallied to reach the second round for a third straight season.
© Agence France-Presse
