Late in the fourth quarter, with the Wizards down by nine points but seeking to sneak back into the game, backup Raptors guard Delon Wright drilled a three-pointer that sent a sold-out Air Canada Centre into a frenzy.Toronto’s mascot held aloft a flag that read “BENCH BROSKIS” and sprinted the length of the court to celebrate a trey that put the Raptors up by 12, and helped seal an important 114-106 win in this first-round NBA playoff series.Earlier this week, attention centred on Toronto all-stars Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, and how the pair would react to the pressure that accompanied the club’s dismal record in playoff series openers. Before, Saturday the Raptors had played in 13 playoff series in franchise history, but won the opening game just once. Lowry and DeRozan told reporters they would approach Saturday’s game one as though it were a must-win game seven.But when the game tipped off and the Wizards worked to neutralize the Raptors’ highest-profile performers, a series of supporting players raised their games.Power forward Serge Ibaka sank eight of 11 shots to score a game-high 23 points.Wright totaled 18 points and added four assists.Guard C.J. Miles scored 12 points – all on three-point shots.After days of speculation that head coach Dwane Casey would change the team’s preparation process in search of a different game-one result, he instead stuck with the identity that carried the Raptors to a club-record 59 regular season wins.Under that setup, Casey said, the team’s complimentary players are just as important as its all-stars.“Guys played their role. It’s the same role they’ve played all year,” Casey said. “As long as those guys are producing the way they are, why should we change our rotation?”The teams split their four regular season meetings, with each club also going 1-1 on its home court. But the season series unfolded without Wizards star John Wall, wh ...
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