The Toronto Raptors could have been forgiven for hanging their heads after Hedo Turkoglu missed a game winner in the final seconds of regulation on Friday - but instead they rallied to knock off the Washington Wizards 109-107 in overtime.
Turkoglu, signed this summer for his clutch shooting, redeemed himself by scoring the winning jumper in OT but it was the titanic effort from Chris Bosh that paced the Raptors throughout this gutsy victory. The Toronto team had held a meeting earlier in the day to address their recent woes and it seemed to pay dividends.
Bosh had 31 points and 16 rebounds, stepping up down the stretch to score a string of vital buckets. Looking like a man possessed, the Raptors power forward outhustled Brendan Haywood and Antawn Jamison on the boards and shot 13 of 25 from the field as Toronto ended their five-game skid.
With Jamison in foul trouble, it was Gilbert Arenas who led the Wizards, pouring in a game-high 34 points with five 3-pointers. Arenas' jumper tied the game at 96-96 with 13.7secs to go in the fourth but he could not find a repeat in OT.
After Turkoglu made it 109-107, Agent Zero missed out on a drive to the hoop and Andray Blatche's put-back would not drop, sparking frenzied celebrations on the Raptors bench.
This victory, bristling with a greater commitment to defense and some encouraging team spirit, might just turn Toronto's season around.
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