On Wednesday we got a glimpse of what Toronto Raptors fans can expect from their team this season as they routed the Chicago Bulls 135-92 at home. They forced 27 turnovers and dished out 31 assists, it’ll be difficult for any team in the NBA to beat that if it continues. The scary part is Kawhi Leonard went just 5-for-17 from the field and yet they still had those numbers as a team. Friday sees the Raptors play Washington, in previous years that’d be considered an easy game, but not this time around. The Wizards are no longer the laughing stock of the NBA, Toronto’s main focus will be on slowing Anthony Davis here. Against Chicago they allowed 21 offensive rebounds, I can’t see them winning this game if that happens again on Friday.
Both Trae Young and Anthony Davis made instant impacts with their new team as the Wizards jumped out the gate and beat the Milwaukee Bucks 128-116 in their opener. AD had 34 pts and 12 rebs in 34 mins, while Young added 20 pts and 13 assists. The three-ball was falling at just 21% for the Wiz, so there is still plenty of room for improvement here. The number one overall pick AJ Dybantsa opted to sit out the Bucks game with an ankle issue, there’s still no word on him playing vs Toronto. Matching up with a player like Kawhi would certainly be an experience, but you have to wonder if it’s smarter to wait for a slightly easier match-up if you’re the 19-year old.
Toronto has largely dominated this match-up going 7-3 ATS/SU in the last 10 meetings, but most of those head-to-head stats won’t mean much as this is a completely different Wizards team. As long as AD and Young are healthy and playing this team will have a chance on a nightly basis, especially at home. There’s definitely value in backing Washington as a slight underdog in this one.
Raptors vs Wizards Predictions: Wizards +4.5 is available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.
