As Raptors media relations staff ushered Delon Wright into a post-game press briefing, the 25-year-old paused before parting the curtain and striding to the dais.

“I’ve never been back here before,” he said to himself. “Sheesh.”

The third-year guard has emerged as a key backup in a revamped Raptor offence, but he’s used to ceding the media spotlight to established stars like DeMar DeRozan, who scored 32 points in Wednesday’s win over the Washington Wizards, or Kyle Lowry, who added 17.

But Wright’s 18 points and five rebounds in a 108-98 win earned him a spot in a late-night news conference and a shout-out from head coach Dwane Casey, who mentioned Wright unprompted when he met with reporters.

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“I thought Delon Wight did a good job down the stretch handling the ball. Gave us an opportunity for Kyle and DeMar to get off the ball a little bit more,” Casey said. “I thought that was the difference.”

Wright’s offensive outburst also represented a rebound, both for himself and a team offence that turned stagnant Sunday night in Washington.

After averaging 111.7 points and 33 three-point attempts per game during the regular season, the Raptors shot just 18 three-pointers in Sunday’s 106-98 loss. And Wright passed up several open shots in the game’s crucial late stages before finishing with seven points; he was 3-of-7 from the field.

But Wednesday night Wright closed out the game in attack mode, drilling a fourth-quarter trey, finishing an alley-oop and sinking two free throws after a drive to the basket that drew a foul on Wizards star John Wall.

Between film study that reminded him he played too deferentially on Sunday, and a barrage of social media messages from friends, family and fans urging him to play more aggressively, Wright says he hit the floor Wednesday ready to score.

“I got a lot of people telling me, ‘Stop hesitating and just shoot the ball,’ ” Wright said. “That’s what I tried to do today.”

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Wednesday’s victory gave the Raptors a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven opening-round series and a chance to clinch Friday night on the road.

It also marked a return to the ball-sharing, three-point shooting style of play that carried them to the NBA’s second-best regular-season record, a style that was absent during Sunday’s loss. In Game 5, the Raptors connected on 11-of-25 three-point attempts.

“We took the shots that we normally take, and there’s nothing abnormal about it,” Casey said after the game. “That’s what was uncharacteristic about the two games in Washington, the fact that guys were turning down shots. I thought ball movement was better (Wednesday).”

The Raptors also overcame Wall, who scored 26 points on 10-of-21 from the floor, but who also committed seven turnovers.

Wall’s blend of strength and speed prompted Casey to compare him to a smaller LeBron James, and before the game Wizards coach Scott Brooks acknowledged his club would advance as far as Wall’s now-healthy knees could carry them.

“He missed almost half the season, but he rehabbed and came back in great shape,” Brooks said. “It’s nice to have a guy that can break down whoever’s in front of him.”

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