WASHINGTON -- DeMar DeRozan wouldnt let a little ankle injury keep him from carrying the Toronto Raptors.DeRozan shk it off and scored 40 points, outdueling John Wall in a showcase of All-Star guards as the Raptors beat the winless Washington Wizards 113-103 on Wednesday night. Despite leaving the game briefly to get his ankles re-taped, DeRozan was 14 of 23 from the flr and cracked the 30-point mark for the fourth time in four games to start the season.Hes playing on another level right now, said backcourt mate Kyle Lowry, who scored 18. Hes making my life a lot easier and making I think everybody on our teams life a lot easier. Hes saving possessions, hes creating possessions. Hes creating offense.DeRozan tied Mike James 2005 franchise record with four consecutive 30-point games after previously dropping 40, 32 and 33 in games against Detroit, Cleveland and Denver. He said he didnt care about Sports Illustrated ranking him the 46th-best player in the NBA but tries to improve each night.Im just a student of the game, DeRozan said. I just try and put everything together, be a student of the game while working, always feeling like Im new to the game so I can soak up as much as possible. I try to release it once I get out there on the court.DeRozan released enough that the Raptors (3-1) withstd a dominant performance from Wall, who scored 33 points in 13 of 19 shting and dished out 11 assists. Otto Porter also shot 11 of 13 and had 23 points for the Wizards (0-3), who committed 21 turnovers that turned into 30 Toronto points.Thats hard to overcome, Wizards coach Scott Brks said. Theres a few things that we have to correct.A CUT BELOWLowry needed three stitches to close a cut below his right eye. Coach Dwane Casey knew DeRozans ankle was OK but was concerned because he didnt know how bad Lowrys cut was.He bounced back, Casey said. Hed be probably a pretty gd hockey player if thats the case. He came back. I thought that got his attention a little bit to say, `Hey this is for real tonight.BENCH BOSSESWhen DeRozan and Lowry were out early in the second quarter, the Raptors climbed back into the game thanks to a big showing from reserves Terrence Ross, Patrick Patterson and Cory Joseph. Torontos bench combined for 34 points to Washingtons 11.They played great, DeRozan said. They got us the momentum back.MUST-WIN?Center Marcin Gortat called this a must win for the Wizards at the morning shtaround, an ultimatum that didnt make much sense three games into a season.Were all right, were fine, just three games, Wall said. I dont know why he said its a must win. You want to win a home opener, yeah, but its not a must win.TIP-INSRaptors: Toronto has won eight consecutive regular-season meetings and 11 of the past 12. ... DeRozan tied Jose Calderon for the second-most games played in Raptors with his 525th. Hes 18 away from tying Morris Peterson for first.Wizards: The Wizards fell to 0-3 for the fourth time in six seasons. ... Rkie Tomas Satoransky checked in late in the third quarter after playing just 6 minutes in the first two games. He finished with two points in just under 10 minutes.UP NEXTRaptors: Host the Miami Heat on Friday in whats already their fourth home game of season.Wizards: Host the Hawks on Friday for the second meeting in 10 days after opening with a 114-99 loss at Atlanta last week. Nathan Eovaldi Jersey . -- Lou Brocks shoulder-to-shoulder collision with Bill Freehan during the 1968 World Series and Pete Roses bruising hit on Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star game could become relics of baseball history, like the dead-ball era. Josh Taylor Jersey . Team physician Dr. Steve Traina performed the surgery Friday. Robinson was injured in a spill underneath the Nuggets basket during the first quarter of Wednesday nights loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. https://www.cheapredsox.com/ . Wilson hit Schenn from behind during Tuesday nights game in Philadelphia, earning a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. He has a phone hearing with the department of player safety, which limits any potential suspension to five or fewer games. Dwight Evans Red Sox Jersey . Reigning world champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland opened with a 12-2 rout of Winnipegs Jennifer Jones in a battle of teams bound for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Koji Uehara Jersey .ca! Kerry, Two nights after the Scott-Eriksson incident in Buffalo, the Bruins returned home to play San Jose. In that game, Zdeno Chara put a check on Tommy Wingels that clearly targeted his head. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Pete Rose is appealing directly to baseballs Hall of Fame to restore his eligibility, arguing the lifetime ban he agreed to in 1989 was never intended to keep him out of Cperstown.A seven-page letter to Hall president Jeff Idelson on Tuesday made the case that the settlement agreement reached by Rose and then-Commissioner Bart Giamatti didnt include a provision that he be ineligible for election to the Hall of Fame.At the time Pete agreed to the settlement, the consequences of being placed on the ineligible list were clear and specific -- and did not include a Hall of Fame prohibition, according to the letter, signed by Roses longtime attorney Raymond C. Genco and attorney Mark Rosenbaum.The Hall of Fame changed its bylaws two years after Roses banishment to make permanently banned players ineligible for the Hall, which shut out the career hits leader as long as he remained barred from baseball. Rose agreed to the ban after an MLB investigation concluded he bet on games involving the Cincinnati Reds while managing the team.Genco is asking the Hall to amend that bylaw specifically to allow Rose to be eligible for baseball writers to elect at their discretion. He makes the point that the banishments of Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays for their association with casinos didnt affect their Hall status, and even Shoeless Joe Jackson had remained eligible after he was banned from the game for accepting money to throw the 1919 World Series.We believe that the institution of baseball will be strengthened by this act of grace -- an act that would give Pete Rose the same treatment that every other major league baseball player and manager received throughout the first 55 years of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the letter said.ddddddddddddHall spokesman Jon Shestakofsky said Wednesday that Idelson had not seen the letter and has not commented. In a previous statement, Idelson said, Pete Rose remains ineligible for Hall of Fame consideration, based on the Hall of Fames bylaws, which preclude any individual on baseballs ineligible list from being considered for election.New baseball commissioner Rob Manfred in December denied the 75-year-old Roses latest petition for reinstatement, but Genco said Manfred opened the dr by also stating that it wasnt Manfreds responsibility to determine whether Rose should be eligible for the Hall. Petitioning the Hall to change the rule, Genco said, was the next logical step.Genco noted that Manfred had allowed Rose to participate recently in some ceremonial activities, including the retirement of his No. 14 by the Reds and his induction into the Reds Hall of Fame in June.This play may only bring further scrutiny to Pete, Genco said. He may not get in. It may open a magnifying glass on Pete Roses transgressions, but if you lk at it from a fundamental fairness point of view, I think we have gd fting. We have a very reasonable argument where the board can take very reasonable action in their power to bring real closure to this.Spokesman Michael Teevan said MLB had no comment on Roses latest appeal.---Follow Mitch Stacy at http://twitter.com/mitchstacyFor some of his other recent stories: http://bigstory.ap.org/content/mitch-stacy ' ' '