I was incorrect on my last Raptors free tip as the Spurs (-1.5) were defeated 87-82 at Toronto on Sunday night. I am now a season-worst 3 games below .500 in Raptors free tips with an 18-21 record. Tonight the 35-17 Toronto Raptors host the 33-20 Washington Wizards.
(33-20) Washington Wizards @ (35-17) Toronto Raptors
Probable starting line-ups:
Washington – Point Guard – John Wall Shooting Guard – Garrett Temple Center – Marcin Gortat Small Forward – Paul Pierce Power Forward – Nene Hilario
Toronto – PG – Kyle Lowry SG – DeMar DeRozan C – Jonas Valanciunas SF – James Johnson PF – Amir Johnson
Stats Leaders:
Washington – Points Per Game – John Wall 17.3 Rebounds Per Game – Marcin Gortat 8.1 Assists Per Game – John Wall 10.2
Toronto – PPG – Kyle Lowry 18.8 RPG – Jonas Valanciunas 8.6 APG – Kyle Lowry 7.2
Team Scoring: (with league ranking in parentheses)
Washington – Points For (Per Game) – 99.8 (18th) Points Against (Per Game) – 97.4 (8th)
Toronto – PF – 105.8 (5th) PA – 100.9 (22nd)
Overview:
The Washington Wizards have won 2 straight games. On Monday they were victorious 96-80 at home versus Orlando. Backup small forward Rasual Butler led the team in scoring with 15 points on 4 of 14 shooting in 27 minutes off the bench. He was 3 of 9 from the 3 point line and 4 of 5 from the foul line. Center Marcin Gortat had a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds. He was 5 of 6 from the field and 4 of 4 from the free throw line in 31 minutes. Power forward Nene Hilario chipped in with 14 points on 6 of 10 shooting in 21 minutes. Reserve power forward Drew Gooden netted 10 points on 4 of 6 shooting in 23 minutes. Point guard John Wall contributed with 9 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds. He was 3 of 10 from the field in 33 minutes. The team shot 42.9% from the field, 28% from the 3 point line (7-25), and 85.2% from the free throw line (23-27). They destroyed the Magic on the boards 53-33. Their big quarter was the 3rd as they out-scored their opposition 31-19. Washington is 13-12 on the road this season. Tonight is their last game before the all-star break. Their next game is next Friday at home versus Cleveland.
The Toronto Raptors have won 2 straight games. On Sunday they notched an 87-82 home win versus the Spurs. Power forward James Johnson led the way with 20 points on 8 of 10 shooting in 30 minutes. Shooting guard DeMar DeRozan scored 18 points on 4 of 14 shooting in 36 minutes. He was 10 of 12 from the free throw line. He also had 4 assists, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals. Power forward Amir Johnson netted 15 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. He was 6 of 8 from the field in 26 minutes. Point guard Kyle Lowry chipped in with 12 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds. He was 5 of 15 from the field in 37 minutes. Center Jonas Valanciunas contributed with 8 points and 16 boards. He was 3 of 7 from the field in 34 minutes. The team shot 43.2% from the field, 30.8% from the 3 point line (4-13), and 79.2% from the free throw line (19-24). They were out-rebounded 52-48. They held the Spurs to 12 points in the 3rd quarter. Toronto is 20-9 at home this season. Tonight is the final game of a 5 game home stand. Tonight is also their last game before the all-star break. Their next game is next Friday at Atlanta.
Toronto was victorious in their first 2 meetings with Washington this season. On November 7th the Raptors cake-walked to a 103-84 victory at home and on January 31st the Raptors won narrowly in overtime 120-116 in Washington. Tonight is the last meeting of the season between the 2 teams.
Prediction:
I’ve really under-estimated the Raptors in the last week. In my opinion their last win against the Spurs was one of their most impressive of the season due to the grind it out nature of the game, they pretty much beat the Spurs at their own game. I see no reason why they don’t end the pre all-star game portion of their season on a high note with a victory over a good Wizards club. Take the Raptors -5 (1.90) (Bet365)
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