Washington Wizards guard Jamir Watkins drives to the basket as Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett defends. Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

How Raptors Came Back to Beat Wizards

Originally posted on Toronto Raptors on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Mar 1, 2026 3:00 PM ET

The Toronto Raptors are celebrating after beating the Washington Wizards in a game that probably should not have been as close as it was.

The Raptors won by just nine points despite being favoured by more. Raptors forward Brandon Ingram spoke about how the team needs to treat every opponent with the same approach.

"Just got to show the same respect for all teams in the league. You know knowing that no night is going to be easy for us defensively or offensively and just come in with the same mentality," Ingram said.

Raptors Struggle at First, But Pick Things Up

Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Raptors struggled early, trailing by double digits in the first quarter, but they were able to chip away at their deficit once their defence started to settle in.

"They were pretty comfortable offensively, we didn't hit first," Ingram said postgame. "They came off shooting the ball really high for the three-point. And we had to step up a little bit. They saw some gaps, they got to the lane, they got whatever they wanted.

"In the second half, we just tried to ramp up our defense a little more, but it wasn't our usual defense, but we were able to get a win."

The Raptors trailed by three points at halftime, but they managed to pull themselves out of that deficit with a strong third quarter that pushed them in the lead for good. Ingram spoke about what was said in the locker room that helped lead the Raptors back in front.

"In order to turn things around, we knew what was going on. Darko [Rajakovic] didn't show us any film at all [at halftime]. We knew it was just straight-line drives and shooting the three-ball. So we just had to take care of that and get the best shot on the offensive end," Ingram said.

The offence was better in the second half, as the team scored 73 points in the final two quarters. If the Raptors can play with that level of intensity over the final 22 games of the season, they should be able to win most of those contests.

The Raptors return to the court on Tuesday when they take on the New York Knicks. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET inside Scotiabank Arena. Fans can watch the game on TSN Sports or stream it on NBA League Pass.