The Wizards weren’t sure what to make of their 105-102 overtime loss Sunday at Milwaukee.
Their rally from 11 points down in the final 95 seconds of regulation was reminiscent of one of the season’s highlights — an amazing comeback win two weeks ago at Boston.
But their leaky backcourt defense, against a team missing top scorer Michael Redd, was a reminder of a decided lowlight — an ugly loss at the lowly New York Knicks.
Tonight, when the Wizards host surging Toronto (24-19) in the opener of a home-and-home series, they look to mend their defensive woes and avoid the drama, and necessity, of a late comeback.
The Raptors will challenge the Wizards’ perimeter defense. They are the most accurate team in the NBA in 3-point shooting (41.8 percent).
“They spread you out. They have five guys who can shoot threes,” said guard Roger Mason. “With us, our big thing [on defense] is being in the paint. So we’ll have to adjust.”
Sunday in Milwaukee, the Bucks’ backcourt out-scored the Wizards’ 64-28, hitting 10 of 16 shots from 3-point range. Tonight Toronto poses a similar threat. The Raptors hit 15 of 21 (71.4 percent) from beyond the arc in a win Wednesday at Boston.
“If we have to match up with them with a smaller lineup, we have the flexibility to do that,” said Wizards coach Eddie Jordan. “If we want to stay with a big lineup, we’ve got to hurt them inside — points in the paint, shot blocking at the rim.”
Wizards vs. Raptors
WHEN » Tonight at 7
WHERE » Verizon Center
TV » CSN
RADIO » 980 AM
» Toronto has won seven of its last nine.
» Raptors F Chris Bosh has averaged 30.0 points per game his past eight games.
» Toronto’s 3-point threats include Jason Kapono (50.5 percent), Anthony Parker (48.7), Jose Calderon (43.2) and Carlos Delfino (41.8).
