The Washington Wizards notched their first win of the season on Tuesday night with convincing 93-78 victory over the Toronto Raptors. While tickets may have been going for less than a dollar in some places, owner Ted Leonsis, who was sitting courtside, had to come away pleased with the improved effort after a disheartening home loss to the Timberwolves on Sunday.
Washington got key contributions off their bench which chipped in a total of 43 points. Rashard Lewis had 15 points off the bench, while Jordan Crawford added 11 points and Andray Blatche nine in relief roles while Flip Saunders experimented with a new starting lineup.
A huge second quarter gave Washington a 12 point lead at the half, and they continued that momentum into the second half. The Wizards held the Raptors without a field goal for the last five minutes and forty seconds of the third quarter while shooting 50 percent from the floor on the offensive end in the third. Jan Vesely, Chris Singleton, and Trevor Booker were huge for Washington, providing spark and energy and playing a key role in a Wizards 21-2 second half run. The run was capped with a Vesely dunk on an alley-oop from fellow rookie Shelvin Mack. The No. 6 overall pick finished with four points and had five steals, playing a huge part in Washington's improved defensive effort.
The Wizards, who hadn't had 20 assists in a game all season, finished with 20 dimes on Tuesday. John Wall had nine assists and eight points in the win. It was important to capitalize and get this first win against Toronto, as the Wiz now head out on the road to face one of the best teams in the league in the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night.
For more on the Wizards, visit our community at Bullets Forever, and for more from the opposing bench, check out Raptors HQ, SB Nation's Raptors blog.