A moment of pre-match ceremonies and a few minutes of play, the normal state, that of a pre-pandemic world, seemed to have found the Toronto runway. The players were greeted warmly, Fred Vanfleet scored the first points in the match and coach Nick Norse was technically fouled for shouting an official.

Since the start of the second quarter, it has become clear that the Toronto team has changed a lot over the past 20 months.

The Wizards exposed the weaknesses of the Nick Nurse team. Clumsy, disorganized and lacking in shooting, the Raptors saw Washington slip into the locker room by 20 points in the first half, Toronto’s biggest lead in 26 opening games.

The result wasn’t necessarily better for the Raptors, who managed just 30 of 97 field shooting attempts.

We didn’t handle the situation wellNick dropped the nurse immediately after the match.

We didn’t really get anything running at either end (the playing field). When there were games to play, we couldn’t finish them. There wasn’t much rhythm. He said we were often in a mode of thinking. There will be a lot of learning tomorrow, that’s for sure!

The coach also confirmed in a press conference that he found it particularly disturbing that some players showed a lack of harmony between them on the field.

Veteran Fred Van Vliet led the Raptors charge with a meager 12-point total, tying with rookie Scotty Barnes, who was playing his first NBA game.

There will be matches like this. It is as it is. no escape. We tried many things, but nothing worked for us. We’ll go back to the drawing board tomorrow to find solutionsVanVleet analyzed.

Let down the crowd. She was amazing. Amateurs have done their part. We didn’t play well enough, but this is the first match.

For The Wizards, star player Bradley Beal and Montrezel Harrell did most of the work with 23 and 22 points, respectively.

A second wind thanks to Dalano Banton

With the Raptors trailing by 24 points and facing the prospect of losing, coach Nick Norse sent rookie Dalano Banton into the fray seconds before the end of the third quarter. The Torontonian, the first Canadian in history penned by the Raptors, made his debut to thunderous applause.

It didn’t take long for the proud representative of the Rexdale neighborhood, northwest of Toronto, to stand out. He scored his first points in the NBA with a shot from the middle of the field and the sound of the siren on top of that!

Banton himself found it hard to believe his shot entered the basket. I’m glad he died and I’m happy because this is the first basket of my careerGo with a big smile.

The 21-year-old Torontonian showed the same recklessness in the fourth quarter. He never left the field, working mostly with Montrealers Chris Boucher and Khem Birch. Together, they became the first three Canadians to play for the Raptors at the same time.

Thanks to the offensive contribution of Banton and others, Toronto came within 10 points of the Wizards on the scoreboard, but it was too little, and it was too late.

Despite all the adversities in this game, we have never felt let down by the fans. Their continued support was kind of what kept us alive in the fourth quarter. It was great to play in front of them and I appreciate all the fans who loved me and welcomed me with open armsPantone summarizes.

The Raptors, still underweight Pascal Siakam, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, will face the Celtics in Boston on Friday. They will then return to Toronto for four consecutive games.