John Wall and Bradley Beal help Washington Wizards rediscover their magic

John Wall and Bradley Beal help Washington Wizards rediscover their magic
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By Reuters
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John Wall and Bradley Beal combined for 56 points, and the Washington Wizards climbed back into their first-round playoff series with a 122-103 win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

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John Wall and Bradley Beal combined for 56 points, and the Washington Wizards climbed back into their first-round playoff series with a 122-103 win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

Wall scored 28 points and handed out 14 assists, and Beal also dropped 28 points for the Wizards, who trail the Raptors 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.

Game four is on Sunday in Washington. The Wizards have won seven straight playoff games at home.

DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points, and Kyle Lowry finished with 19 points for the Raptors, who committed 18 turnovers.

After a back-and-forth first half, the Wizards extended their lead to as much as 20 in the third quarter. Wall hit a layup to cap a 13-3 run that put Washington in front 90-74. Ty Lawson hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Wizards a 101-82 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Lowry knocked down a 3-pointer that cut the deficit to 13 at 106-93 with seven minutes to play. Beal answered with a jumper and Wall hit a layup to squash Toronto's comeback hopes.

Toronto led by as many as nine in the first half, but couldn't hold the lead against the hot-shooting Wizards.

Washington shot 59.6 percent from the floor, including 5-of-9 from 3-point range, and led 69-61 at halftime. Beal and Wall combined for 40 of the Wizards' points in the first half.

Washington veteran Markieff Morris and Toronto rookie guard OG Anunoby exchanged shoves during a heated moment early in the first quarter. Morris and Anunoby each were assessed technical fouls.

The game stayed testy into the second half. Serge Ibaka and Wall had to be separated in the third quarter, and Jonas Valanciunas and Beal also had a minor altercation during a dead ball.

Toronto sixth man Fred Van Vleet missed his second game of the series as he deals with a shoulder injury. He is listed as day-to-day.

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