Toronto Raptors vs. Washington Wizards: Postgame Grades and Analysis
The Washington Wizards completed a four-game sweep of the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, winning, 125-94, at the Verizon Center.
Point guard John Wall established the pace of the game early, relentlessly attacking the paint on his way to 14 points and 10 assists. He shot 3-of-5 from the field and 7-of-7 from the free-throw line.
He and his Wizards teammates exploited a lifeless Raptors defense all night long, shooting 55.4 percent from the field. Washington assisted on 30 of its 41 made field goals.
Toronto was led by Kyle Lowry, who scored 21 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out four assists. The Raptors simply got little to nothing else from the rest of the team, especially on defense.
| John Wall | A+ |
| Bradley Beal | B |
| Paul Pierce | A |
| Marcin Gortat | A+ |
| Nene | B- |
| Rest of Team | A |
| Kyle Lowry | B- |
| DeMar DeRozan | C |
| Amir Johnson | D |
| Jonas Valanciunas | C+ |
| Rest of Team | D |
Washington Wizards
John Wall: A+
It was clear pretty early that Wall was going to get whatever he wanted against the Raptors defense, and that's exactly what he did throughout the game.
He got to the lane at will, showing great decision-making on almost every drive. He played a controlled game, hitting teammates when they were open and going for his own offense only when it was open or when he knew he could draw contact.
Bradley Beal: B
Bradley Beal had a great first half, as he focused on getting shots either at the rim or from three. His efficient attack helped to pretty much eliminate the Raptors in the first 24 minutes.
He cooled off quite a bit in the second half, but it didn't hurt Washington at all. By that point, Paul Pierce was ready to take the baton and bury Toronto once and for all.
Beal wound up with 23 points on 5-of-15 shooting from the field and 10-of-11 from the free-throw line.
Toronto needed a hot start to the third quarter to have a shot, and Pierce absolutely destroyed any hope they might have had. He nailed two threes right out of the break, completely demoralizing the Raptors.
He finished the game with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from three-point range.
Marcin Gortat: A+
The Raptors front line offered absolutely no resistance to the Polish Hammer, Marcin Gortat, who dominated around the rim all game.
Gortat showed the knack he's had since his Phoenix Suns days with Steve Nash to be able to slip to the open spots on the floor when his point guard has the ball. And just about every time Wall set him up, Gortat delivered, scoring 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting.
His game went well beyond just putting the ball in the hole too. He also grabbed 11 rebounds and proved to be a willing passer when he wasn't open, finishing with five assists.
Nene: B-
Nene was perhaps the only Wizards starter who didn't completely have his way, as he finished with 10 points and four rebounds.
Washington didn't really need a huge performance from him, though. The offense was humming all game, and the ball found its way to other guys.
Rest of Team: A
Prior to garbage time, only three Washington reserves—Ramon Sessions, Otto Porter and Drew Gooden—saw the floor. All three were solid, not only spelling the starters, but maintaining the big lead when they were in.
Sessions had 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Porter went for seven points and seven rebounds and played some stellar defense. Finally, Gooden went for 13 points and four rebounds and even stepped out for three three-pointers.
Toronto Raptors
Kyle Lowry: B-
Lowry's inability to contain Wall aside, he was actually solid. Unfortunately for the Raptors, defense is half the game, and Lowry's injuries clearly hampered him on that end.
"Lowry being healthy might have made a huge difference. I’m skeptical because I believe Wall is a world-ender, but would have helped.
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) April 27, 2015"
It was a gutsy performance, at least offensively, as the Raptors' season was clearly falling away.
DeMar DeRozan: C
There's been plenty of talk about the inefficiency of DeMar DeRozan throughout the season, and it was easy to see why at times during this one.
DeRozan was far too willing to isolate himself and settle for mid-range jumpers, rather than move the ball and trust it would find its way back to him.
He still hit a few of those shots, though, finishing with 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting. He also swiped three steals.
Amir Johnson: D
After returning to the starting lineup with a 14-point, 12-rebound double-double in Game 3, Amir Johnson was almost nonexistent Sunday. For several stretches, it was almost like he wasn't even out there.
He finished with four points on 2-of-5 shooting and grabbed three rebounds.
Jonas Valanciunas: C+
Jonas Valanciunas struggled on both ends for much of the series but at least got his offense going in Game 4. He finished with 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting and collected nine rebounds.
Defensively, though, Valanciunas looked lost for most of the game. Whether he was on Gortat or Nene, he had almost no impact on what the Wizards wanted to do.
Rest of Team: D
Backup guards Lou Williams and Greivis Vasquez both struggled from the field, shooting a combined 8-of-22 from the field for 25 points. Vasquez did add four assists, though.
Patrick Patterson and Tyler Hansbrough spelled the bigs, and they both struggled as well. Patterson was just 2-of-8 from the field on the way to six points. Hansbrough had three rebounds in 11 minutes.
Coming Up Next
The Wizards will now get plenty of rest as they await the winner of the series between the Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta currently leads, 2-1.
Toronto, meanwhile, enters the offseason with plenty of questions. Will general manager Masai Ujiri clean house after such a terrible postseason performance? He's yet to really put his own imprint on this team, something he may try to do this summer.
Andy Bailey covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him @AndrewDBailey.
