Malachi Flynn and Sam Dekker shine in win over Washington Wizards as Toronto Raptors close preseason in style

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Benyam Kidane
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Malachi Flynn (Toronto Raptors)

The Toronto Raptors made it two wins in a row, defeating the Washington Wizards 113-108 at Scotiabank Arena, moving them to 3-2 in preseason play. 

With starters Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby rested for this game, Malachi Flynn and Sam Dekker seized their opportunity, both coming off the bench as they combined for 25 points in the fourth quarter alone to power the Raptors home. 

Flynn led the charge with 22 points on the night, while Dekker added 18. Goran Dragic chipped in 16 points in 22 minutes, while Precious Ahiuwa continued his strong preseason form with nine points and 10 rebounds in 19 minutes on court. 

Kyle Kuzma scored a game-high 24 points for the Wizards, hitting six of his eight attempts from the 3-point line. 

Tonight's game wraps things up for Toronto's preseason as they now prepare to take on Washington again on opening night on Oct. 20 at Scotiabank Arena.

Before then, let's jump into some key takeaways from tonight's win. 

One big takeaway

Second-year point guard Malachi Flynn has staked his claim for a spot in the rotation. 

He saved his best performance of the preseason for last and was in attack mode, especially down the stretch as they turned the game in their favour, relentlessly attacking the basket, earning several trips to the free throw line, where he went 6-for-7 in the final 12 minutes.

Then with under 40 seconds to go and the Raptors in front by three, he completed this and-1 play to put the result beyond doubt. 

The 23-year-old

"I was really happy with Malachi bouncing back again," head coach Nick Nurse said postgame. "Seems like he's been really good, and had a couple tough nights and then really good.

"He bounced back, sign of a competitive guy. Obviously had a big fourth quarter there, as well."

With Goran Dragic and Fred VanVleet the only other point guards on the roster, there's minutes available for Flynn, who did his chances no harm tonight.

5 thoughts

  • Sam Dekker is fighting for one of the three remaining roster spots and his display tonight, playing the entire fourth quarter as he alongside Flynn led the way down the stretch. his 18 points came on 7-of-10 from the field and 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. 

  • Two wins in a row, two games in a row Scottie Barnes has led the team in assists. He registered seven dimes tonight to go with nine points as he continues to showcase his abilities as a point forward.

  • The final roster? Yuta Watanabe and Isaac Bonga look to have done enough to secure two of the three available spots, leaving Sam Dekker, Ish Wainwright, Freddie Gillespie and Reggie Perry to battle it out for the final spot. Wainright was solid in his 18 minutes tonight, with seven points, four rebounds and one assist, going 2-of-3 from deep. At this stage, it looks like Dekker vs. Wainright for the final spot.
  • With Kyle Lowry now in Miami and the Raptors roster now featuring plenty of talented youngsters, Goran Dragic's veteran experience is going to come in handy this season. The Slovenian chipped in with 16 points on 4-of-5 from deep and brought some stability to the offence, much to the delight of Nick Nurse. "Kind of what I was hoping to see out of Goran tonight to run the show and look at his opportunities," Nurse said. "Looked much more comfortable out there tonight, which is good. Put in a couple of his old sets that he's used to running back in the day and try to get him back in the groove."
  • Precious Achiuwa has been one of the stories of preseason for the Raptors and tonight he was at it again, hauling in five offensive rebounds and this impressive defensive play to kickstart a transition triple for Dragic. Will he start on opening night?

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Benyam Kidane Photo
Benyam Kidane

Benyam Kidane is a senior NBA editor for The Sporting News.