Exactly one year ago Youth Dallas Cowboys Jerseys , the Toronto Raptors clinched a postseason series on the road.
The location was Milwaukee, but the Raptors are hoping to experience the same feeling Friday night when they visit the Washington Wizards in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Toronto won two of three road games in last season’s series, including a 92-89 win at Milwaukee in Game 6 when DeMar DeRozan scored 32 points.
The Raptors’ series against Washington reached six games because the home team is unbeaten. Toronto allowed 122 points last Friday in Game 3 and then blew a double-digit lead and scored 18 points in the fourth quarter of a 106-98 loss in Game 4 on Sunday.
Toronto, which did not lose three straight all season, rebounded nicely Wednesday by getting a 108-98 win in Game 5 Wednesday. DeRozan scored 32 points on a night when the Raptors tried a different alignment down the stretch.
Center Jonas Valanciunas played fourth-quarter minutes for the first time all series alongside Delon Wright, Kyle Lowry, DeRozan and C.J. Miles. That group played seven minutes together, but the unit was put together with about nine minutes remaining and Toronto facing a five-point deficit.
DeRozan scored 30 points before the fourth quarter while Wright scored 11 of his 18 points in the fourth, Valanciunas totaled six points and seven rebounds, helping the Raptors control the glass by a 15-12 margin in a game where they were outrebounded 50-35.
“We understand each other’s capabilities,” DeRozan said. “When guys line up out there, (we know) what we’re all capable of doing offensively Youth Kerryon Johnson Jersey , defensively. It showed tonight. Everybody stepped up. Delon stepped up big. With C.J. out there, he spaces the floor tremendously. You’ve got to worry about a knock-down shooter like him. We just exploited everything individual-wise that we could do.”
If the Raptors do everything DeRozan mentioned down the stretch like Wednesday, they will avoid a Game 7 at home on Sunday, something they were able to do last season.
Besides the relatively new lineup, the Raptors also reverted to its style emphasizing 3-point shooting. Toronto made 11 of 25 3-pointers after only attempting 18 in Game 5.
“We took the shots that we normally take, and there’s nothing abnormal about it,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. “That’s what was uncharacteristic about the two games in Washington, the fact that guys were turning down shots. I thought ball movement was better (Wednesday).”
The Wizards have yet to lose to Toronto at home in a postseason game.
Three of Washington’s four home postseason wins over the Raptors have been by double digits. The Wizards also won Games 3 and 4 of a first-round series three years ago when they swept Toronto.
Now they are facing elimination after fading down the stretch by shooting 8 of 24 in the final 12 minutes.
Washington guard John Wall is averaging 26.6 points in the series and was 2 of 6 in the fourth Wednesday. Bradley Beal scored 20 on 8-of-20 shooting but missed five of six shots in the fourth.
“We feel like we let one slip away,” Wall said. “They made the biggest shots at the end of the game.”
Those were Wall’s words after the Wizards missed seven straight shots and now they are hoping to avoid a repeat display of stagnant offense on their home floor to keep their season going.
“For sure, to be that close at home against this team, it was there,” Washington forward Markieff Morris said. “We just have to execute towards the end.”
The Wizards have been able to execute at home in the postseason recently. They are on an eight-game playoff home winning streak in the postseason.
Washington’s ability to execute might be missing a key component in Otto Porter Jr. Jordan Whitehead Color Rush Jersey , who is dealing with a strain in the lower part of his right leg, his status is unknown and could be based on MRI results.
“We don’t know yet, but he’s banged up,” Washington coach Scott Brooks said. “So hopefully we will find out some good news and see how he feels tomorrow.”
Porter was initially injured April 10 against the Boston Celtics. He averaged 14.7 points in the regular season but is averaging 10 points in the series.
“We need Otto,” Brooks said. “We need Otto to be more of a nine or 10-point scorer for us to win this series.”
The San Antonio Spurs are not going to win 50 games this season, nor have they been able to produce the game-to-game dominance in 2017-18 that has been commonplace during a two-decade run of NBA excellence.
But the Spurs still have a chance to make the playoffs for the 21st consecutive year. That goal, no, accomplishment, can be reached with a win in one of their final two games, the first of which is Monday against the Sacramento Kings at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.
The Spurs (46-34) took another step toward the postseason with a 116-105 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday behind 28 points from LaMarcus Aldridge and 17 from ageless (actually, 40-year-old) guard Manu Ginobili.
Ten of Ginobili’s points came in the fourth quarter, including eight straight in a 49-second stretch midway through the quarter that pushed the Spurs’ advantage to 101-89 and allowed San Antonio to cruise down the stretch.
“I was just feeling good Kevin Hayes Jersey ,” Ginobili said about the decisive sequence. “A couple of shots went in, and I was feeling that type of rush and that type of excitement. Flow, they call it. So I was trying to use it.”
Ginobili hit all seven of his shots in the win, three of which came from behind the 3-point line. He was 4 of 4 from the field and 2 of 2 from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter.
“I’m very happy that it happened again today in an important moment,” Ginobili said. “It made me feel good, and it helped the team get a lead and then rest of the guys that were in there the last five minutes were amazing both defensively and offensively, so very solid game.”
Point guard Dejounte Murray added 17 points for San Antonio, Rudy Gay scored 16 and Patty Mills had 13 for the Spurs.
The Spurs remained sixth in the Western Conference standings. If the playoffs started today, San Antonio and Portland would play each other in the first round.
“Our team defense was good, tough cover,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “Our big guys were at the rim the way they needed to be. Our smalls chased really well, so I thought our team defense gave us the opportunity to win the basketball game.”
Monday’s game will be the regular-season home finale for the Spurs Telvin Smith Jersey , who have won 32 of 40 games at AT&T Center this season, the third-best home record in the league.
The Kings have an opportunity to put a monkey wrench into all of the Spurs’ good feelings with an upset. Sacramento can draw on the momentum it built Friday with a 94-93 win at Memphis.
The Kings won when guard Bogdan Bogdanovic knocked down a 16-foot jumper with 1.1 seconds remaining. He then stole the inbounds pass to end the game.
Willie Cauley-Stein led the Kings with 18 points, Buddy Hield finished with 14, and De’Aaron Fox and Justin Jackson each scored 13. Bogdanovic had just eight points but made the game’s biggest shot.
“He’s struggled shooting the basketball, it didn’t seem like he had a lot of energy,” Kings coach Dave Joerger said about Bogdanovic. “And he’s got the purest heart ever — he’s just exhausted mentally and so he kind of lost focus. We got him some good looks.”
Bogdanovic said the games at this point of the season are a grind on his psyche and don’t give him the same feedback at the end.
“It’s more mental because we’re out of the playoffs,” Bogdanovic said. “But we’re still trying to win and still trying to play the right way. It’s tough, but we’ll figure it out, and we want to finish the season strong.”
Kings forward Zach Randolph missed his eighth straight game, the last four for personal reasons. Monday’s game is the road finale this season for Sacramento.
San Antonio has won 13 straight games over Sacramento and has beaten the Kings 10 consecutive times at the AT&T Center.
A Kings win would allow Sacramento to avoid the season series sweep by San Antonio or the fourth consecutive year.
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