SPORTS

Toronto Raptors take 3-2 series lead with 108-98 victory over Washington

Lori Ewing The Canadian Press
Published Wednesday, April 25, 2018 9:39PM EDT

Toronto Raptors centre Jakob Poeltl (42) battles for the ball against Washington Wizards forward Mike Scott (30) during second half game five of round one, NBA playoff basketball action in Toronto on Wednesday, April 25, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

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TORONTO - The Toronto Raptors are one win away from the Eastern Conference semifinals.

DeMar DeRozan scored 32 points as Toronto pulled away over the final few minutes to beat the Wizards 108-98 on Wednesday. The Raptors will take a 3-2 lead in their seven-game series back to Washington for Friday's Game 6.

Kyle Lowry finished with 17 points and 10 assists, while Delon Wright scored 18 points off the bench, and Jonas Valanciunas had 14 points and 13 rebounds.

John Wall led the Wizards with 26 points, while Bradley Beal added 20.

Through the first three quarters, Washington seemed the hungrier team in a back-and-forth battle that saw neither team lead by double digits until the game's last couple of minutes. The Wizards were winning most of the loose balls and dominating the boards, outrebounding Toronto 50-35.

But after losing two games in Washington, the Raptors returned to Toronto with confidence in their homecourt that had seen them lose just seven times in the regular season.