Game Time Update: Lucas Nogeuira will dress and is available for tonight’s game.
The Toronto Raptors are finally hitting the road, and it’s familiar stomping grounds in Washington D.C. The site of the 2015 playoffs collapse still haunts me just a tad, but with strong wins here last year and the Raptors’ backcourt tandem firing on all cylinders, things could work out this time around.
Here’s the details on tonight’s contest:
Toronto Raptors @ Washington Wizards
Tip-time: 7:00 pm
TV Broadcast: TSN
Radio Broadcast: Sportsnet 590 The Fan
For the full game preview courtesy of Mr. Murphy, check out Raptors Gameday here.
And check out video from shootaround earlier today:
The biggest question mark for the Raptors will be surrounding Lucas Nogeuira, who was limited in practice Tuesday, and still appears to be a game-time decision. Regardless, it appears as though Nogeuira has essentially “lost” his backup centre spot that seemed essentially guaranteed on opening night, with rookie Jakob Poeltl holding his own with strong interior play especially on the defensive end. I’d still bank on Nogeuira not seeing the floor tonight.
Tonight’s projected starters and injuries:
Toronto Raptors
PG – Kyle Lowry
SG – DeMar DeRozan
SF – DeMarre Carroll
PF – Pascal Siakam
C – Jonas Valanciunas
Washington Wizards
PG – John Wall
SG – Bradley Beal
SF – Otto Porter Jr.
PF – Markieff Morris
C – Marcin Gortat
Injuries – Wizards
– Ian Mahinmi (Torn meniscus)
Injuries – Raptors
– Lucas Nogeuira (sore ankle – GAME TIME DECISION)
– Delon Wright (shoulder – out indefinitely)
– Jared Sullinger (foot surgery – out indefinitely)
Keys to the Game
– Contain John Wall: While it’s easier said than done, you don’t need to exactly stop the guy. Containing him means getting back on defense, keeping him on the perimeter and forcing him into turnovers (he’s leading the Wizards in scoring and assists, but he averages 5 miscues a game).
– Get a body on Gortat (and contain his pick-and-roll): The Wall-Gortat pick-and-roll has caused issues for the Raptors in the past (remember that playoff series?), so containing him off the pick-and-roll and also cleaning up the glass will be crucial. JV’s PnR defense has been suspect to the say the least, so it will have to be all hands on deck.
– Balanced offense: This sounds like a broken record, but the Raptors have been too reliant on DeMar and Lowry early on. Granted this is partly because DeRozan has been on fire, and Lowry was needed to save the day against Denver, but getting Patterson, Ross, Joseph, Carroll and others going is going to be ultra-important going forward (not to mention, those guys need to step up and hit threes to preserve the spacing in offensive schemes).
The Line/Prediction
The line looks virtually even between these two teams, with the Raps holding a slight edge 1-point favourites. If Lowry and DeRozan shoulder the offensive burden, I think the Raps will take this one (though that may not exactly bode well for the future).
Given the Wizards slow start and the Raptors’ increasingly impressive ability to making winning plays when it counts most, I’ll take the Raps by 5.
