A conflict will prevent me from watching Wednesday’s tilt between the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards live. It may also prevent the pre-game news and notes from going up, but luckily the only question mark on either side is Lucas Nogueira, and we have a pretty in-depth preview for you below.
And hey, guess what? It’s the Wizards, which means it’s time to argue backcourts! Let’s hear what some Raptors had to say at practice Tuesday when asked about DeRozan & Lowry vs. Beal & Wall…
DeMar DeRozan: It was never really a thing for us. We never looked at it like our backcourt going against their backcourt. We never looked at it like that. We always try to go out and play and if we win that’s all that matters. But we never had the intent or looking at it like it’s a matchup thing. (But do you get why fans talk about it?) Yeah, I mean it’s a cool thing to see when you see everybody come over, ‘backcourt this, backcourt that’ and everything. From a fan perspective I look at it like it’s a cool thing but once you go out there I just want to win.
Dwane Casey: It’s gonna be interesting. They’re one of the most dynamic backcourts in the league, as everyone knows. Strength, speed, quickness with Wall, and shooting, athletic ability, and somebody that can create his own shot in Beal. So between DeMar and Kyle and Beal and those two, it’s gonna be interesting. I’m biased, so I feel like we have the better of the two. But the team that imposes its defensive will will win the game.
The Wizards will always hold the playoff series victory over the Raptors, but otherwise it’s tough to argue that Lowry and DeRozan haven’t experienced more sustained success during the time this “rivalry” has existed. But hey, what’s one more combined 50-point night in another victory, spoiling their home-opener, right?
The game tips off at 7 p.m. on TSN and Sportsnet 590. I’ll be watching it Thursday afternoon sometime.
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To help set the stage, I reached out to Rashad Mobley of Truth About It, and he was kind enough to help us out.
Blake Murphy: Marcin Gortat called this game a must-win for the Wizards. Umm…what? Don’t get me wrong, 0-2 isn’t great, they need to bounce back this year, it’s the home opener, and there’s a bit of residual distaste between sides maybe, but a must-win? Things can’t be that dire on Nov. 2, right?
Rashad Mobley: On one hand, Gortat’s statement is quite hyperbolic considering the Wizards are two games into their first season with their new head coach, and the starting lineup of John Wall, Bradley Beal, Otto Porter, Markieff Morris and Gortat has only played together three times (once in preseason, and the two regular season games). When you throw in that Wall is still getting in rhythm and shape after spending the entire summer recovering from not one, but two knee injuries, you have a team that is slightly off-kilter.
But in some ways Gortat is right on the money. The Wizards missed the playoffs, missed out on acquiring Horford and/or Durant, and the consolation prizes were Coach Scott Brooks and bench players like Andrew Nicholson, Ian Mahimni, Jason Smith, Tomas Satoransky, and Trey Burke. Coach Brooks stressed defense during the preseason but in the first two regular season games, the Wizards have blown late fourth quarter leads and the bench has not assisted the starters at all. With the starters not playing consistently well–Wall and Ball both said the Wizards gave up on defense at times–it feels like confidence and morale are trending downward. A home win would be the ideal deodorant, but a loss in the home opener starts to make things a bit more uncomfortable. I’d say Gortat got this one right.
Blake Murphy: Ok, so things haven’t gone well through two games. Other than forcing turnovers – generally a great idea given how John Wall can decimate opponents in transition – the Wizards are struggling across the board. Sample size caveats applied, what worries you most about the shaky opening week?
Rashad Mobley: Bradley Beal’s slow start concerns me a bit because unlike Wall who was ensconced in knee rehab for the majority of the summer, Beal was healthy and went through quite an intense summer workout to ensure that he was ready for the season. During preseason, Beal flaunted some new stop-and-go movements designed to create space, and per Scott Brooks suggestion he made a deliberate effort to get to the rim and draw fouls. That Beal has to show up. He was 6-of-12 in the first game (just 1-for-1 from the FT line) and foul trouble prevented him from getting in rhythm. In game two, he stayed out of foul trouble, but show 5-for-17 in 40 minutes. Now as you know, Kyle Lowry struggled a bit in his first two games, before scoring 29 points against the Nuggets, so perhaps Beal will get well at the expense of the Raptors.
Blake Murphy: The deadline for extensions passed without a deal for Otto Porter, the greatest player who ever lived. Is this a case of the new cap economy and uncertainty about the new CBA conspiring to push both sides to extremes – there weren’t a lot of deals done around the league, in general – or do you think there’s a genuine divide that could lead to Porter exploring the market in earnest? He’s a big part of this team’s future if he can put the intriguing pieces together, right?
Rashad Mobley: Otto’s lack of a contract extension has more to do with him not yet distinguishing himself as a legitimate small forward in this league. Last season it was assumed that Porter would slide into the Hall-of-Fame shoes Paul Pierce had vacated at the end of the 2014-2015 playoffs, but it did not happen. He averaged just 11.6 points and 5.2 rebounds. In fact, he was so mediocre under Coach Wittman, that when Coach Brooks came in, he said that Porter would have to compete for a starting position with Kelly Oubre. Porter won the starting role by a landslide, but still that isn’t exactly the blueprint for getting your team to sign you to a lucrative contract extension.
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Rashad also asked us some questions.
Rashad Mobley: Prior to the start of the playoffs last April, I think it is safe to say that Coach Casey was on the hottest of hot seats considering the Raptors had been swept by the Wizards the year before. The Raptors fought through two seven-game series in the first two rounds before losing in six games to the eventual-champion Cleveland Cavaliers. Did Casey change his style or his philosophy? Or is this just a case of patience finally paying off? I am especially interested in your answer since Randy Wittman was not able to get the Wizards over the hump last season, and he was fired.
Blake Murphy: I’ve always been more of a pro-Casey voice than most, not because I don’t recognize some of his tactical weaknesses, but because he’s a very good 365-day coach. That he’s struggled in the past in high-leverage spots is notable, as was his increased flexibility and openness a season ago – the offense varied a little more in the regular season, he showed a willingness to ride younger players if it was deserved (even sitting DeMar DeRozan during a key stretch against Indiana), and his game-to-game adjustments were far more pronounced than in the Brooklyn or Washington playoff series. So he’s tweaked and flexed, but nothing like reinventing the wheel – he knows how the team eats.
Rashad Mobley: Speaking of the playoffs, why did the Raptors lose to the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals? Was it as simple as too much LeBron and Kyrie? And if so, was done in the offseason to give the Raptors a better chance should that matchup arise again?
Blake Murphy: Yes, it was too much LeBron. It’s really as easy as that – the Cavaliers are more talented and more experienced, and they employ the best player in the world. The Raptors taking two games off of them was an unqualified success. It can be a little disheartening to answer the “where do they go now” question, because there hasn’t been a move available to them that would close the gap with Cleveland. They’re stuck being pretty good with a great team ahead of them right now. Given where the franchise has been, that’s a pretty comfortable lot in life for the near-term.
Rashad Mobley: Kyle Lowry had been struggling a bit (until Monday night’s 29-point outburst) , but clearly DeRozan is in the early season zone Three games is not a large sample size, but it is clear to me that DeMar DeRozan is shooting better, playing more aggressively on both ends, and making a concerted effort to get in the lane? Is he just hungry to get back to the brink of a title? Or perhaps is he getting a boost after playing in the Olympics this summer?
Blake Murphy: I’m not really sure what’s gotten into him, and he hasn’t seemed to have an answer he can put into words, either. Sometimes, you’ve just got it going like that. I mean, apparently…I wouldn’t know. He and Lowry have long had a sense of when to let and facilitate the other going off, and DeRozan’s done a great job of using opponent game plans – namely, switching rather than letting him get the edge and force a rotation – to his advantage. The hope would be that on a night his shot is off or a defense sells out to protect the paint, he’ll shift to facilitating for others more, and that’s something he’s done a good, if inconsistent job with in the past.
Rashad Mobley: True or False? By season’s end, Jared Sullinger will be be 100% healthy and make Raptors fans totally forget about Bizmack Biyombo.
Blake Murphy: False. Because some Raptors fans will miss Biyombo no matter what any time an opposing team is feasting near the rim. Sullinger makes the Raptors better when healthy, and the sum of all the new parts (Siakam and Poeltl have looked good so far, too) might help make up for Biyombo’s overall contribution, but I think because Biyombo’s presence was so visible/obvious/loud, it’ll be tough for people to evaluate the trade-off accurately.
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Raptors updates
Jared Sullinger and Delon Wright remain sidelined long-term, and Lucas Nogueira’s status remains up in the air. It’s been nearly two weeks since Nogueira sprained his ankle, so it wouldn’t be shocking if he’s back here, but my money is on Friday. He was getting shots up yesterday at practice but still wearing a brace and moving a little gingerly. With the Wizards presenting a somewhat smaller and rangier challenge, anyway, this might not be the best return spot for him. Then again, he might not play even when healthy, so maybe this is moot.
PG: Kyle Lowry, Cory Joseph, Fred VanVleet
SG: DeMar DeRozan, Norman Powell
SF: DeMarre Carroll, Terrence Ross
PF: Patrick Patterson, Pascal Siakam, Bruno Caboclo
C: Jonas Valanciunas, Jakob Poeltl
OUT: Delon Wright, Jared Sullinger, Lucas Nogueira (TBD)
Wizards updates
Other than offseason acquisition Ian Mahinmi, who has only progressed to light shooting, the Wizards are healthy. John Wall was dealing with some back soreness over the weekend but is by all accounts fine.
PG: John Wall, Trey Burke
SG: Bradley Beal, Tomas Satoransky, Marcus Thornton,
SF: Otto Porter, Kelly Oubre, Danuel House
PF: Markieff Morris, Andrew Nicholson
C: Marcin Gortat, Jason Smith, Daniel Ochefu
OUT: Ian Mahinimi
The line
The Raptors are 1-point underdogs. That may seem strange on its face, but home-court advantage generally provides three-to-four points for a home team, so this still suggests the Raptors are “better” than the Wizards. The over-under is set at 203, which might be a bit high given how slow both teams are playing early on (small sample alert!), but I also thought the over-under against the Nuggets was a little low. Wall can make this a track meet if he gets rolling. Still, the Wizards need to find themselves defensively before I’m willing to pick them over a Raptors team that’s looked pretty solid through three games, save for Monday’s third quarter.
Raptors 102, Wizards 97
