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DeRozan foils Wizards again with 35 points in Raptors win
The Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards have developed one of the more curious rivalries in the Eastern Conference. The visiting Raptors entered Friday night's game in D.C. having won five straight regular-season matchups between the teams, which would serve as a sign of dominance if the Wizards hadn't swept them in a first-round playoff series last April. Yes, the matchup is now quite different with Washington postseason hero Paul Pierce in Los Angeles, but certain wins clearly outweigh others. No matter how many wins they get against the Wizards, the Raptors will still have something to prove.
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The good news for Toronto is that DeMar DeRozan continues to play with that level of desire. Less than two weeks after scoring 34 points in a win over Washington, DeRozan improved on that showing with 35 points (including 21 in the second half) on 11-of-24 from the field and 12-of-13 from the line in a 97-88 Raptors win. Take a look at his highlights here:
DeRozan spoke about his attitude towards the Wizards after the game. From the Associated Press:
"I wouldn't necessarily say it's a rivalry but more of, I was here during the playoffs and that was a bad feeling to get swept and coming back here just playing against them gives you that same reminder of what happened," he said.
It's arguable that DeRozan has applied that same focus to many recent opponents — he's scored at least 28 points in six of his last 12 games and looks set to challenge for a spot in the Toronto-hosted All-Star Game in February. If he makes it, he will most likely join backcourt partner Kyle Lowry, who put up 21 points and 10 rebounds on Friday.
As the mass of teams behind the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East standings begins to separate, the Raptors now find themselves in their familiar spot in the top half of the conference's playoff spots. Their 23-15 record puts them just one game behind the No. 2 Chicago Bulls, a surging squad that's played four fewer. It also may be time to take the Raptors more seriously as a dark-horse East contender — they have massively improved their defense and stand as one of five teams in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
