Raptors surge in 4th quarter, eliminate Wizards in Game 6

Kyle Lowry scored 24 points, and the Toronto Raptors got a big lift from their bench in a clinching 102-92 win over the Washington Wizards on Friday in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series at Capital One Arena in Washington.

The Raptors, the top seed in the Eastern Conference, outscored the Wizards 29-14 in the fourth quarter. Toronto will face the winner of the series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers in the next round.

"We're not satisfied," Lowry told ESPN after the game. "This is another step in our journey. We're happy right now, but we'll be able to focus on the next task at hand."

DeMar DeRozan scored 16 points, and Jonas Valanciunas added 14 points and 12 rebounds to help Toronto notch the only road win of the six-game series with the Wizards.

Bradley Beal scored 32 points, and John Wall added 23 points to lead the Wizards.

Toronto's bench outscored Washington's reserves 34-20.

The Raptors took their first lead of the night on an alley-oop dunk by DeRozan from Lowry with 6:22 left in the third quarter, but were unable to build on it. The Wizards quickly regained the lead and got a last-second tip in from Tomas Satoransky that gave Washington a 78-73 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Wall and Beal combined for 20 of Washington's 25 points in the third quarter.

Toronto opened the fourth quarter with an 11-2 run, capped by a 3-pointer from CJ Miles that gave the Raptors an 84-80 lead. The Raptors' bench accounted for Toronto's first 15 points in the fourth quarter.

Washington led the entire first half, including by double digits during several stretches. A pair of Mike Scott baskets capped a 30-point first quarter for the Wizards, who led by 10 heading into the second quarter.

Wall hit a pull-up jumper that gave Washington a 47-37 lead with three minutes left before halftime. Lowry and OG Anunoby hit 3-pointers to help bring the Raptors back in the final minutes of the half. Washington led 53-50 at halftime. Lowry had 15 points to lead all scorers in the first half.

The Wizards were without forward Otto Porter, who underwent a minor procedure on his left leg. Kelly Oubre Jr. started in Porter's place.

Fred VanVleet returned for the Raptors and provided a spark. VanVleet, who had missed the majority of the first five games while dealing with a shoulder injury, scored five points, including a 3-pointer that tied the score 78-78 early in the fourth quarter.

--Field Level Media