OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam help Raptors snap road slide with 132-102 rout of Wizards
By Ian Nicholas Quillen, The Associated Press on December 27, 2023.
WASHINGTON (AP) – OG Anunoby scored 26 points, Pascal Siakam had 22 points and 11 assists, and the Toronto Raptors eased past the Washington Wizards 132-102 on Wednesday night. Scottie Barnes had 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Raptors, who snapped a three-game slide and five-game road losing streak while beginning a stretch of nine of 10 on the road. Toronto shot 57.1% (52 of 91) from the floor and 39.5% (15 of 38) from 3-point range while posting its largest margin of victory this season and sending the Wizards to their second-largest defeat. Kyle Kuzma scored 14 points while playing with a bruised right thigh and Jordan Poole also had 14 for Washington, which lost its third straight. Corey Kispert added 13 points off the bench for the Wizards, who fell to 5-25 – the second-worst 30-game start in franchise history. The Wizards allowed more than 130 points for the 14th time, and continued their struggles as the league’s worst rebounders, trailing Toronto 53-34 on the glass. The Raptors took control with a 19-1 run that stretched across the first and second quarters. Anunoby’s transition layup from Gary Trent Jr.’s feed gave Toronto its first lead with 1:48 left in the first. Chris Boucher followed with a 3 and Trent hit a layup to close out the quarter, and ultimately Washington went 7:30 without a field goal before Deni Avdija’s transition dunk with 9:19 left in the second. Toronto’s lead expanded to 13 in the second quarter. It was 59-50 at half after Kispert hit a buzzer-beating layup, and the Raptors only increased their advantage after the break. UP NEXT Raptors: Visit Boston on Friday. Wizards: Host Atlanta on Friday. ___ AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba 15-14
