Following an offseason of change and evolution, the new-look Washington Wizards finally took the floor for real on Wednesday night and delivered a signature win on the road in Toronto.

Bradley Beal opened his 10th NBA season in familiar fashion as Washington’s high scorer, pouring in a game-high 23 points as the Wizards downed the Toronto Raptors 98-83.

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The victory was the first win as a NBA head coach for new Washington coach Wes Unseld Jr. After spending the last month-plus working hard to learn a new philosophy and adhere to the principles instilled by Unseld, the Wizards wanted to make sure they celebrated his first W in a special way.

“It was exciting. It was electrifying. We definitely recognize this is his first win. It was super important to us,” Brad said. “It was exciting for us to come for four quarters and play a good game…it was good to be able to get him a nice first win here.”

It was Washington’s first season-opening win since 2017.

Perhaps most impressive was Washington’s defense, holding Toronto to just 31 percent shooting from the field and 21 percent from deep. The Wizards also forced 19 turnovers, including four steals by No. 3.

Going into Wednesday’s game, Washington had not held an opponent under 90 points in nearly two years, since October 25, 2019 when they held the Oklahoma City Thunder to 85, and Toronto’s 83 points on Wednesday were the fewest against a Wizards team in nearly four years (10/29/17 vs. Sacramento).

“We generated the right shots,” Unseld Jr. said. “It didn’t fall for us tonight, but once again, that’s a credit to our defense. It was a defensive win, in my opinion.”