John Wall, Wizards Sneak by Raptors to Even Series at 2 as Bradley Beal Drops 31
The Washington Wizards evened their first-round series at 2-2 with a 106-98 Game 4 win over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.
Bradley Beal scored 31 points before fouling out, while John Wall finished things off with 27 points and 14 assists to help level the series against the No. 1 seed. The Wizards have now won eight straight playoff games at home dating back to last season.
DeMar DeRozan scored 35, but back-to-back losses put the pressure squarely on the Raptors heading into Game 5 on Wednesday.
Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports noted a major result of the loss:
Beal carried the Wizards in the second half with 20 of his 31 points after halftime, but he picked up his sixth foul with about five minutes remaining and the score tied at 92.
The rest of the team picked up the slack and used a 12-2 run to pull away in the closing minutes. This jumper from Wall effectively sealed the win with about a minute remaining:
Although Beal was more efficient while shooting 5-of-7 from three-point range, Wall made a larger impact with six rebounds and three steals to go with his 25 and 14.
The Wizards overcame a slow start that featured inefficient play but at least plenty of big highlights in the first half between Wall and Beal:
Consistency was a problem in the half court, though, as the team shot just 34 percent in the first half, including 1-of-7 from three-point range. This was enough for the Raptors to take a 51-40 lead at halftime.
Washington found its offense in the third quarter, scoring 40 points to tie the game at 80 entering the fourth. The home team began spreading the ball offensively while the visitors couldn't avoid turnovers.
DeRozan did everything he could to keep Toronto alive, making shots from all over the floor:
"DeMar's got it going
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 23, 2018"
14 PTS in the quarter and 29 PTS in the game so far pic.twitter.com/ZvjvdUcS1d
That said, he finished 10-of-29, and his minus-12 on the court was the lowest of all players. Kyle Lowry added 19 points, although the depth that has been key all season didn't provide much help.
It's now a three-game series for a spot in the second round, beginning with Game 5 on Wednesday in Toronto. Considering the Raptors are 36-7 at home this year, they remain in good shape going forward in this series.
