WASHINGTON — In the lazy, hazy days before Game 3, when all was light and easy, it was so strange watching and listening to another team go through what has become a spring tradition in Toronto.

It was another team’s stars sounding exasperated, trying to answer unanswerable questions. It was another team’s coach almost physically shrinking from the burden that gets bigger each game, perhaps sensing that this mountain may be too big to climb.

Before Game 3 Friday, trailing in their first-round series 2-0, Wizards head coach Scott Brooks had to explain why he’s not changing his starting lineup.

Toronto Raptors had coach Dwane Casey had to explain why he didn’t need to. His explanation? They were playing too damn good.

Without the general, creeping anxiety that has always been a trademark of recent Raptors playoff runs, it all felt a bit disorientating.

Well… it’s back!

After 84 games of playing an inspiring, ball-moving, player-moving, up-tempo brand of basketball bolstered by a young second unit that could turn any game they entered on a dime, the Raptors had a flashback, dropping Game 3 122-103 at Capital One Arena with a potentially pivotal Game 4 slated for Sunday night at 6 p.m.

They were lots of mistakes (19 turnovers for 28 Wizards points chief among them) and some tactical issues too (the Raptors free-flowing offence is being too easily stalled), but also signs of team that didn’t match the energy of a desperate opponent.

“They played the way you’re supposed to play a playoff game—physical, aggressive, into you,” said coach Casey. “That’s the way the game is supposed to be played. Now we have to go down to the other end and guard them and be physical with them. They were the ones talking about us being physical with them [so] we can’t turn around and say they were physical with us tonight. It’s a playoff battle against two really good teams and they won the battle tonight.”

And it was a battle. Several times the teams came together in anger, although it was downplayed afterwards—“No one is going to fight out there,” said Raptors guard Kyle Lowry. It indicates the Raptors might have a bigger scrap on their hands than they might have been hoping for.

How the Wizards won is concerning as well. Anyone who has watched the Casey-era Raptors struggle in playoffs past would have recognized this game and the slightly nauseous feeling it generates among those invested.

Lowry and DeMar DeRozan being required to generate offence on their own?

Plenty of that—they combined for 36 shots while no one else on the team had more than eight. Lowry was six-of-14 for while DeRozan was 10-of-22 for 23 points. Together they had 12 assists but eight turnovers.

“We didn’t take care of the ball at all,” said DeRozan, a bandage under his left eye, evidence of the chippiness. “For us, that was the game. They fed off that, they got out in transition when they’re at their best. It killed us in there. We got to understand they’re going to come out aggressive, play past the wings, be more physical and that’s what they did and we weren’t prepared for it. Next thing you know we got 10, 12, 15 turnovers and so on.”

Role players marginalized?

There was plenty of that too. Outside another encouraging outing by OG Anunoby (12 points on five shots and a convincing pushing match with Wizards veteran Markieff Morris in the first quarter) no one outside of the Raptors all-stars could make a ripple in the game, let alone a splash.

Most concerning is that the Raptors bench—arguably the most effective unit in the NBA throughout the regular season—has been a collective no-show. Outplayed in Games 1 and 2 they were smashed on the road on Game 3. There wasn’t a positive plus-minus among them and they finished a collective minus-64, this after a minus-60 outing in Game 2.

Is it attributable to them playing without sparkplug point guard Fred VanVleet, who was ruled out as he recovers from what is being called a sprained shoulder, but in truth is a shoulder separation?

The Raptors better hope not, because his return to full health may not be as close as VanVleet would like to believe.

Season-long stalwarts Pascal Siakam (five points on three shots and, tellingly, no transition baskets) and Jakob Poeltl (five points and two turnovers in 10 minutes) didn’t make an impact again, while Delon Wright (minus-15) and CJ Miles (minus-22)—the Raptors best bench players to this point in the series—didn’t bring it on the road.

“I think we have to be more aggressive,” said Siakam, who took three stitches in his lip from a Kelly Oubre elbow. “They were ready tonight and they took us out of what we wanted to do. We have to be ready when we come out and make sure we throw the first punch … Obviously we need Fred out there. Another ball handler and a guy who can make shots. He kind of controls the tempo a little, but I think we all have to step up in his absence and play better.”

Meanwhile the Wizards experience and awakening. Bradley Beal—limited to 14 points a game and 39 per cent shooting in Toronto exploded for 28 points—26 coming in three quarters as he helped put the game out of reach early, while John Wall could do anything he wanted, breaking down the Raptors defence for easy 15 footers or working his way into the paint and finding cutters—the much-maligned Marcin Gortat, having shaved his Mohawk had 16 points on 10 shots, many on Wall set-ups—or pitching out for a three. He arrived at the arena in a silver Ferrari 458 Spider to the delight of fans outside the building, and left looking even better as he torched the Raptors for 28 points, 14 assists and four steals.

“I just wanted to be aggressive and get shots I wanted versus what they were going to force me to take,” said Beal. “But this dude next me [Wall] he creates and facilitates for our whole team. I couldn’t tell you the last time I got a regular catch-and-shoot three [when he was out with injury]. When he got back I got three or four off the bat.

“[Tonight] it was great to see a few go in. It’s always a confidence booster. We’re at home and we needed to win. That was my main mindset, do whatever it takes to win.

Meanwhile, Washington continues to get good production from elsewhere in their rotation as Mike Scott and Oubre combined for 22 points on 12 shots.

Toronto shot 45 per cent from the floor and 12-of-28 from three while making 19 turnovers leading to 28 Wizards points. Washington shot 55 per cent from the floor and 10-of-23 from three and only turned it over 11 times while scoring 21 fast break points to 10 for the Raptors

The Raptors were trailing 101-82 heading into the fourth quarter and mainly treaded water after that. The damage was already done and there was no dramatic comeback to undo it.

For Toronto, the outcome couldn’t have been predicted based on the early going. Toronto looked every bit the team in charge, getting an early lead, taking the crowd out of it, all that good stuff.

Understandably both coaches were worried about the first quarter. The Wizards’ Scott Brooks for the obvious reason—his team had been out-scored 72-50 in the opening minutes of Game 1 and 2—Casey because he was anxious about the possibility of an energized Wizards team running Toronto out of the building on a wave of early energy.

“They’ve been in this situation before. They were 0-2 to Boston last year and came out like a different team,” said Casey before the game. “They had Boston down, what, 37-19 the first quarter last year before they even knew it? So, I expect that. We should expect it. And be ready for it.”

Each of them could find reason to be encouraged. Casey because, for the third straight game, his starters came and put their stamp on game with ball movement, defence and a balanced attack. They led 27-18 with 2:42 left in the opening quarter, with all five starters scoring and three of them combining to knock down four of five three-point attempts.

So not what Brooks was hoping for—at least initially. But then the Raptor bench filtered in—or more accurately, Lowry left the floor—and the Wizards got the run they were hoping for, and the Raptors feared. DeRozan playing with Poeltl, Siakam, Miles and Wright simply lacked direction. Fuelled by three live-ball turnovers and struggling Wizards guard Beal heating up—he scored 12 points in the first period—Washington finished the period on a 13-2 run and led after 12 minutes for the first time in the series, 30-29.

The Wizards ability to score in spurts was a theme.

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At times the Raptors seemed determined to let the game get away on them as they would cough the ball up and ignite quick Wizards runs that were just too difficult for Toronto to come back from. Just as in the first quarter turnovers were the culprit as the Wizards went on a 14-4 burst midway through the quarter that turned a three-point lead to a 13-point bulge on their way to a 69-61 halftime lead.

Part of the problem seemed to be the Raptors struggling against a more passive, switch-heavy brand of defence the Wizards were using, rather than running double teams at Toronto’s primary ball handlers as has been a playoff tradition. The Wizards used it successfully in the second half of Game 2.

But even if they were expecting it, it still flustered them. Lowry had five turnovers as he got caught hesitating too often and couldn’t easily find open passing lanes as Washington stayed hugged to their checks.

“They switched,” said Wright. “One through five were switching and that threw us off. We’ll just look at the film and see what we what we can do better with ball movement. That’s what helped us the first two games.”

The tactic lured Toronto into old habits as DeRozan in particular seemed to look to force offence when he got a favourable defender switched onto him. It looks good when it works and can lead to a big scoring night but it also bogs down the ball and player movement that Toronto has worked on all season. It also makes it harder to find open three-point shooters as the defence isn’t caught rotating to help as much.

The Raptors came into Game 3 trying to find something to worry about—an odd experience for them, to be sure. But after their first game on the road there are suddenly plenty of red flags as they wait for Game 4.

That feeling they at least have experience with.