Wizards Cast Spell on Weak Raptors 86-60

The Toronto Raptors threatened records for offensive futility again Friday night, scoring just four points in the second quarter and a franchise-low 23 in the first half of an 86-60 loss to the Washington Wizards.

Larry Hughes scored 16 points to pace the Wizards, who led 51-23 at halftime and took over by pushing the tempo and controlling the boards in the second quarter. Washington outscored Toronto 29-4 in the period – tying a franchise low for the Raptors.

The half of ineptitude came exactly one week after the Wizards held the Raptors to a franchise-low 27 first-half points in an 82-79 Raptors win at Toronto. The next day, the Raptors scored 24 in the second half against Minnesota and finished with a franchise-low total in a 73-56 loss.

The game also goes into Washington’s record books. The four points are the fewest the Wizards have ever allowed in a quarter; the 23 points are the fewest they’ve yielded in a half; 60 are the fewest for a game.

Vince Carter led the Raptors with 18 points on 8-for-21 shooting. Toronto, averaging an NBA-low 76.3 points coming in, shot 37 percent from the field, committed 22 turnovers and was rebounded 48-38.

The Raptors went 2-for-16 from the field in the second quarter after missing their first nine shots. Carter made both field goals, but was just 2-for-7 from the field in the period.

Leading 22-19 after the first quarter, the Wizards took control with an 18-0 run using a fullcourt press and a more aggressive approach to the basket. Highlights included Etan Thomas’ over-the-back block of Antonio Davis, who appeared headed for a fast-break dunk, and Hughes’ 30-foot 3-pointer just before the shot clock expired.

Washington’s defense had much to do with Toronto’s futility, but the Raptors also missed their share of open shots during the second quarter.

Notes:@ The NBA record for fewest points in a half in the shot-clock era is 19 by the Los Angeles Clippers against the Los Angeles Lakers in 1999. The Clippers scored three points in the second quarter in that game, a league record for fewest points in a second quarter. … After playing well against Dallas on Wednesday, Christian Laettner started again at center for the Wizards and had nine points and 11 rebounds. … Kwame Brown’s first career 3-pointer – a bank shot at the halftime buzzer against Dallas on Wednesday – created such a buzz that coach Eddie Jordan asked him to recreate the shot at practice Thursday. “He had to end practice with a bank-shot 3,” Jordan said. “We couldn’t end practice for 20 minutes. He kept trying and trying.” … Raptors coach Kevin O’Neill had hoped to add Tyrone Hill to the roster, but the veteran forward signed with Miami on Friday. “That’s unfortunate,” O’Neill said. “I would have loved to have had him.”