The Washington Wizards have pushed the Toronto Raptors to the brink of a second consecutive first round playoff exit in the NBA playoffs.

The Wizards moved their lead to 3-0 in their best-of-seven series after defeating the Raptors 106-99 Friday night in Washington, DC.

Toronto got off to yet another great star to game three, as been the story in the opening two games. A hot start from the back court of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry gave the Raptors a 10-point lead early in the first quarter, however that would vanish before halftime. 

John Wall again terrorized Toronto with another big performance, scoring 19 points and adding 15 assists, while Marcin Gortat added 24 points to go with 12 rebounds. 

DeRozan led the Raptors with 32 points, 22 coming in the first half.

DeRozan set the franchise record for most points in a playoff quarter as he drilled 20 points in the opening quarter. Lowry hit a couple big threes early, before he went on a cold streak of 2-for-9 and ran into more foul trouble.

The Wizards took over in the second half as six of their players scored in double figures. 

With the game tied at 88-88, Otto Porter’s performance of the Wizards’ bench continued to impress. With 4:20 on the clock, Porter drilled a three pointer to put the home side in front for good, as the Wizards led for the rest of the game. 

Paul Pierce’s continued efforts to haunt the Raptors was highlighted by one three pointer that capped a 10-2 run from the Wizards with two minutes left on the clock, and another with 16.3 seconds remaining and Toronto within three. 

The veteran Pierce put the final nail in the coffin in a rivalry with Toronto that dates to his time with the Brooklyn Nets a year ago. He finished with 18 points on the night.

Despite the Raptors having won all three regular-season meetings between the two sides, Toronto has been unable to find any of the same success. 

The Wizards go up 3-0 in a playoff series for the first time in their history while the Raptors try to rewrite history - in 110 chances, no team has ever overcome a 3-0 series deficit.

Game four of the series is set for Sunday evening as the Wizards attempt to go for the first round sweep.