Toronto Native A.J. Lawson Leads Raptors’ Dominant Rebounding Effort in 119-104 Win Over Wizards

A.J. Lawson had a career night in front of his hometown crowd, draining seven 3-pointers and scoring a career-high 32 points while grabbing 12 rebounds as the Toronto Raptors cruised to a 119-104 victory over the Washington Wizards on Monday night.

Toronto (22-43) set a franchise record with 73 total rebounds, the most by any team in the NBA this season. For the first time in team history, four Raptors finished with double-digit rebounds in the same game, each recording a double-double.

Scottie Barnes contributed 14 points and 13 rebounds, while RJ Barrett finished just shy of a triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. Orlando Robinson added 13 points and 11 boards to cap off a dominant performance on the glass.

Alex Sarr led the Wizards (13-50) with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Jordan Poole scored 16. Tristan Vukcevic chipped in 15 points for Washington, which had won its previous two games, including a narrow 118-117 victory over the Raptors on Saturday.

Takeaways

Wizards: Washington, already missing Khris Middleton (ankle) and Marcus Smart (finger), suffered another blow when Bilal Coulibaly exited in the first quarter with right hamstring tightness after a hard fall.

Raptors: A strong bounce-back performance for Toronto after Jamal Shead’s potential game-winning layup was ruled late in Saturday’s loss to Washington.

Key Moment

Toronto seized control early in the third quarter with a 10-0 run, highlighted by a Barnes dunk and layup, which put the Raptors ahead for good.

Key Stat

Toronto dominated the offensive glass, collecting 28 rebounds and 33 second-chance points.

Up Next

The Wizards continue their road trip against Detroit on Tuesday night, while the Raptors remain home to face Philadelphia on Wednesday.