Recap: Wizards earn crucial 131-129 OT win over Raptors

TAMPA, FL- MAY 6: Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards drives to the basket during the game against the Toronto Raptors on May 6, 2021 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.

Scott Audette/NBAE via Getty Images

FINAL: Wizards 131 | Raptors 129

BOX SCORE | HIGHLIGHTS

SCORING LEADERS

Wizards: Bradley Beal (28), Raul Neto (25), Robin Lopez (24)

Raptors: Pascal Siakam (44), Gary Trent Jr. (25), Fred VanVleet (22)

SUMMARY

The Wizards defeated the Raptors 131-129 in overtime on Thursday night in the second game of a back-to-back. The win snaps a nine-game losing streak to Toronto and gives Washington a leg up in the race for the final spot in the Eastern Conference Play-In. Bradley Beal scored a team-high 28 points, Raul Neto scored a career-high 25 points and Russell Westbrook notched another triple-double with 13 points, 17 rebounds and 17 assists.

Both teams scored 30-plus points in the first quarter, a continuation of what has been a high-scoring week for the Wizards, but both did it in different ways. Toronto shot 6-11 (.545) from 3-point range while the Wizards scored 20 of their 31 points in the paint. Four of the Raptors’ five starters accounted for all 33 of the team’s points, led by 13 points from Pascal Siakam. A 13-1 Toronto run late in the second quarter, fueled by 11 points combined from Khem Birch and Gary Trent Jr., put Washington behind 60-47. Washington went without a field goal for over six minutes of game time before Beal found Westbrook for an open layup in the closing seconds of the half that cut the lead back down to single digits. Six Wizards scored at least six points in the first half, led by 11 points from Davis Bertans.

The Wizards trailed by as many as 13 points early in the third quarter when Siakam knocked down a pull-up, mid-range jumper, but Washington answered with a 12-2 run to cut the lead to 73-70. Westbrook scored or assisted on 10 of the 12 points before subbing out. The Wizards, led by 11 third quarter points from Neto, kept the momentum going, tying the game minutes later at 78 to cap a 20-7 run overall. After the Wizards trailed by six points in the opening minutes of a back-and-forth final quarter, a Bertans 3-pointer with just under six minutes to go gave Washington a 97-96 advantage, the team’s first lead since the first quarter. Washington again fell behind by five, but snapped a scoring drought with a Beal layup off an inbound pass from Westbrook.

After scoring only nine points in the first half, Beal scored 10 points in the final three minutes of regulation to help the Wizards down the stretch. One of the most pivotal plays of the game came with 37 seconds on the clock when Westbrook, playing with five fouls, drew a charge with the game tied at 109. On the following possession, Beal was fouled attempting a 3-point attempt and knocked down two free throws to put Washington up 111-109. After Siakam got the line himself and made one of two attempts, the Raptors forced a jump ball on the Wizards ensuing inbounds play, but Beal batted the ball to Robin Lopez, who was fouled and knocked down a pair of free throws. After a quick layup by Toronto and two more free throws for Beal, Fred VanVleet knocked down a difficult 3-pointer with two seconds on the clock to tie the game at 115 and send the game to overtime.

With the Wizards up by two with just under a minute to go in overtime, Beal converted on a difficult driving layup, drawing a foul, but missed the ensuing free throw. Lopez was called for a foul fighting for the rebound, but Wizards head coach Scott Brooks won a challenge to overturn the call. Instead, Lopez attempted free throws to put the Wizards up 126-120, a possible four-point swing with the game on the line. Lopez finished the night with a season-high 24 points, including seven in overtime, on 6-8 (.750) from the field and 12-14 (.857) from the free throw line. Toronto continued to get to the rim on the other end, but Washington made just enough free throws to hold on for the win.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW

Westbrook one triple-double away from tying Robertson’s record

With 13 points, 17 rebounds and 17 assists, Westbrook now has 180 triple-doubles in his career, one away from tying Oscar Robertson for the most in NBA history. He’ll get his first shot at tying the record on Saturday night when the Wizards face a Pacers team Westbrook totaled 14 points, 21 rebounds and 24 assists against earlier this week. Thursday’s triple-double against Toronto is also the 34th of Westbrook’s season, tied for the third-most in a single season in NBA history with his performance from the 2018-19 season. Westbrook owns three of the top four single-season triple-double totals in NBA history.

After putting up a 14-21-24 line against Indiana earlier this week and 29-12-17 against Milwaukee on Wednesday night, Westbrook’s 13-17-17 game on Thursday makes him the first player in NBA history with 50 rebounds and 50 assists in a three-game span.

Wizards earn important win as Play-In race tightens

Now with just six games left in their regular season, the stakes are rising for teams jockeying for position in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Washington’s win over Toronto was one of three games on Thursday night with significant implications for team’s in play for the NBA Play-In Tournament.

The eight-seed Hornets played the 12-seed Bulls, the nine-seed Pacers played the five-seed Hawks and the 10-seed Wizards took on the 11-seed Raptors. Washington entered Thursday’s game three games ahead of Toronto for the final spot in the Play-In and 0.5 games behind Indiana for the nine-seed. Chicago won in Charlotte by 21 points, led by 29 points and 14 rebounds from Nikola Vucevic, while Indiana earned the win in a shootout Atlanta. After the dust settled on the night, the Wizards remain a half a game back of the Pacers, but pulled within 1.5 games of Charlotte for an eight-seed that would require only one win in the Play-In, rather than the two required of the nine- and 10-seed. The Wizards also now lead Chicago by 3.5 games and Toronto by four for the final spot in the Play-In.

Neto steps up with career-high scoring night

In his 11th consecutive start, Neto came up huge for the Wizards on a night when Beal and Westbrook struggled to get going offensively. He scored a career-high 25 points on 7-11 (.636) from the field and 5-7 (.714) from 3-point range. The five threes were the most he’s made in a game in his career and helped lead the Wizards’ comeback in the second half. Neto scored 23 of his 25 points in the first three quarters of the game, but knocked down a pair of clutch free throws with seven seconds left in overtime to seal the win for Washington.

NEXT UP: Wizards at Pacers / Saturday, May 7 / 7:00 P.M. / Bankers Life Fieldhouse

HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT