Two teams fighting for play-in spots in the Eastern Conference will battle it out Thursday night as the Toronto Raptors (31-32, 9th in the East) take on the Washington Wizards (29-32, 10th in the East). The Wizards will host this one at the Capital One Arena, with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 pm ET.
The Raptors are slight favorites despite playing on the road. They are -112 to win, while the Wizards’ moneyline sits at -104. The spread features Washington as one-point underdogs (-110).
Raptors Hope To Create Separation With Wizards
With the top-10 teams in each conference getting into the playoffs (four via the play-in tournament), the Raptors know every game is important down the stretch. Currently leading the Wizards by one game in the East, Toronto would love to pick up the win Thursday and create a bit of separation.
While the Raptors have played great as of late (8-2 in their last 10), they really need to improve on the road, where they are just 11-19 this season. They are also looking to pull to .500 against conference foes as they are currently 19-20.
Offensively, Toronto ranks 23rd in the NBA, averaging 112.6 points per game. Leading the scoring is Pascal Siakam, who is averaging 25.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, and six assists per game.
Other contributors include Fred VanVleet (19.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.7 assists), Gary Trent Jr (18.4 points), O.G. Anunoby (16.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, two steals), and Scottie Barnes (15.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists).
On defense, Toronto ranks eighth in the NBA, allowing opponents an average of 111.9 points per game.
Wizards Trying To Break Through
At 29-32, the Wizards have played good basketball, but have been far too inconsistent to be great this year.
Currently, they are 16-19 against the East, 15-19 on the road, 14-13 at home, and just 5-5 in their last 10. They will look to add another tally to the win column as they play host Thursday.
Defensively, Washington ranks 15th in the NBA, allowing opponents 113.2 points per game. On the offensive side, they come in 19th, averaging 113.1 points.
Bradley Beal leads the Wizards’ scorers this season. In 39 games, he is averaging 23.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 5.4 assists.
Kristaps Porzingis (22.8 points, 8.6 rebounds) and Kyle Kuzma (21.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists) have also had solid seasons. It is worth noting that Porzingis is questionable for this one with a knee injury.
Take Raptors To Win On The Road
Looking at the trends, Toronto is 5-1 in their last six games and 13-2 in their last 15 versus Washington. In their last six road games versus Washington, they are undefeated.
As for the Wizards, they are just 3-12 in their last 15 games against the Atlantic Division. In five of their last six games against the Raptors, the UNDER has hit.
While their records may be close, Toronto is just a more of a complete team, and that is only enhanced if Porzingis is unable to go Thursday.
Take Toronto to win this one on the road straight up Thursday at -112.
