The Toronto Raptors will look to bounce back from one of their most demoralizing losses of the season when they face the Washington Wizards on Wednesday to begin a three-game trip.
The Raptors led by as many as 17 against the Utah Jazz on Saturday before being outscored 71-48 in the second half en route to a 126-119 loss. Toronto has dropped three straight and 10 of its past 13.
Scottie Barnes matched his career high with 32 points in the loss to Utah, while Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby each scored 19 points. Coach Darko Rajakovic is seeking solutions after the Raptors again failed to put together a complete effort.
“Sure, we can mix up rotations here and there during the game,” Rajakovic said. “It’s not like we have Steph Curry sitting on the bench and I’m not putting him in on the court.
“We are trying to get some chemistry. We are seeing some improvements like we did in the first half. Great first half. Why didn’t (we) do it in the second half? … It’s not even really about lineups. The same people were on the court in the second half as well, but we were completely different in the way we played in the second half.
“The easiest thing is to change lineups. But are those just cosmetics, or are we addressing real things?”
Toronto has won its past three meetings against Washington, including a 111-107 home victory on Nov. 13. Siakam scored a season-high 39 points in the win, including 22 in the third quarter.
Siakam played in his 500th NBA game on Saturday, all with the Raptors. The eighth-year pro is averaging 21.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists this season.
“He just loves to play the game. He just loves to compete,” Rajakovic said of Siakam. “He’s one of those guys, he just looks like he’s coming ready to compete every single night, and I give him a lot of credit for his professional way of finding how to do that.”
Toronto will need another strong outing from Siakam against Washington, which is playing on the second night of a back-to-back after losing 127-119 to the visiting Orlando Magic on Tuesday.
Wizards guard Delon Wright made his first appearance since Nov. 10, when he sprained his left knee. Wright produced seven points and four rebounds in 13 minutes off the bench.
Jordan Poole scored 30 points to lead Washington, while Tyus Jones added 22. The Wizards, who own the third-worst record in the NBA, have lost four of their past five games.
Jones has been a welcome addition to the Wizards following four seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies. The ninth-year point guard is averaging 12.6 points on 54.1 percent shooting from the floor.
“I’ve definitely been pleased with the overall numbers, but I still feel like I’m kind of leaving some food on the table,” Jones said. “I still feel like there’s plenty of room for me to get better in a lot of different areas, so that’s encouraging and keeping me with it.
“I feel like a lot of that is just how comfortable I am just with the system. Continuing to find out where my shots are gonna come from and familiarity with other people’s games, just our connection.”
–Field Level Media