After the Redskins lost in record-breaking fashion last night on Monday Night Football, things weren't looking much better for the Wizards. John Wall would not suit up while resting a sprained foot and perhaps another bad performance by another D.C. team would be imminent. Fortunately, it was no Wall, no problem for the rest of the Wizards, who played a complete game and soundly defeated the Toronto Raptors 109-94 to earn their third win of the season.
Andray Blatche had a team-high 22 points to go with seven rebounds, five assists and three steals, while Gilbert Arenas made an impact in his first NBA start since January with 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists of his own.
Wall, missing the first game of his short NBA career, leads the Wizards with about 40 minutes per game, but his absence opened the door for some of the Wizards' reserves to see some action. Nick Young scored 20 points off of the bench and Trevor Booker added eight in 19 minutes. JaVale McGee led the way with nine rebounds. Al Thornton's six points and Kirk Hinrich's 13 rounded out the starters' scoring. Washington was also without Yi Jianlian, who is nursing a knee injury.
The Raptors entered Tuesday's game in a similar predicament. Toronto also had two wins and were missing their starting point guard, Leandro Barbosa, who did not travel with the team on their four-game road trip while recovering from a shoulder injury. The Raptors didn't struggle mightily without him; five players scored in double figures led by Sonny Weems' 16 points.
The Wizards led throughout the game minus the opening minutes of the first quarter. Washington led 54-47 at halftime, but outscored Toronto 36-21 in the third quarter to open a 22-point lead.