Bateer's Raptors open with win
(Agencies)
Updated: 2003-10-09 10:12

Less than a minute after entering the game to huge cheers Wednesday, Raptors rookie Chris Bosh took flight for a huge two-handed dunk.

Lamond Murray scored 14 points, while Milt Palacio and Bosh, added 12 apiece, as the new-look Toronto Raptors defeated the Washington Wizards 76-71 in their pre-season opener Wednesday at the Air Canada Centre.

Antonio Davis grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.

Kwame Brown led Washington with 15 points.

The Raptors' motto this season is Renewed Passion and there were indeed signs for renewed optimism in their exhibition opener, as the announced crowd of 13,712, eager to forget about last season, stood and applauded as the clock wound down.

The 19-year-old Bosh, the Raptors' No. 4 draft pick and already a fan favourite, was impressive, grabbing eight rebounds and shooting 5-for-7 from the field in his 30 minutes.

Murray, who suffered a season-ending foot injury last year before the regular season even began, showed he can be an excellent scoring option to oft-injured star Vince Carter, and added seven rebounds for good measure.

Palacio, who's playing to win the job of back-up point guard to Alvin Williams, went 5-for-8 shooting, and doled out three assists.

And fiery new coach Kevin O'Neill, who took over for the laid-back Lenny Wilkens, was thoroughly animated, hollering out plays all game long.

The Raptors had won just one preseason opener before Wednesday, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 120-107 in 1995 in their first season.

One negative on the night was Carter, who was coming off a star-studded performance with the U.S. Olympic team, but struggled, shooting just 4-for-15 from the floor for nine points in 27 minutes.

The Raptors are out to prove they've put last season behind them. Toronto finished a woeful 24-58, third last in the league, Carter missed a career-high 39 games in three different stints on the injured list and the team set an NBA record for injuries.

Raptors swingman Morris Peterson grabbed the microphone and addressed the crowd before Wednesday's game, thanking the fans who supported the team in "good times and bad."

"We're going to work hard, we're going to win a lot of games," said Peterson. "Let's do this."

Fans also got to see the newest Raptor, 6-foot-11, 319-pound Mengke Bateer. The centre from China missed on three consecutive long jump shots before connecting on a 19-footer, to the delight of the crowd. Bateer finished with four points and three rebounds in nine minutes.

The Raptors shot 38 per cent on the night, while the Wizards shot 36. Toronto scored 28 points in the paint to Washington's 16.

Murray scored six points in the first frame to put Toronto up 20-19 with three quarters to play.

The Raptors opened the second quarter with a 14-4 run to go up by 11 points, but scored just two points in the last four and a half minutes to lead 36-33 at halftime.

Toronto led all but the last nine seconds of the third quarter when Jarvis Hayes connected on a turnaround jump shot to give the Wizards a 50-49 lead heading into the final frame.

Notes: The Raptors host Greek club team Panathinaikos on Friday. . . . Maple Leafs goalie Ed Belfour had a front-row seat. . . . Raptors second-year forward Chris Jefferies didn't dress (back spasms).