NBA: Washington Wizards vs. Toronto Raptors Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Toronto Raptors and the Washington Wizards are starting a fresh chapter in their history, with many new faces on the roster. That is why we wanted to make a preview of their matchup on Wednesday night, and give you some updates that might be useful in your quest for some easy money. The Raptors are now without their franchise icon, Kyle Lowry, while on the other side, Russell Westbrook’s short stint in DC is over.

Preview

Washington Wizards (+120) didn’t win a single of the past four preseason matches. They would lose to Houston, Knicks, the Raptors, and the Knicks again. Though we need to say that they haven’t been outplayed in many of those events.

The Wizards will have a light team, able to run the floor very well. They don’t have static and powerful centers, which could be a plus. Montrezl Harrell will be the starter under the rim, with Thomas Bryant (who is injured) and Daniel Gafford.

But their guard and small forward position are stacked with solid talent. The No.1 star is Bradley Beal; Spencer Dinwiddie came from Brooklyn, Kyle Kuzma ad Kentavious Caldwell-Pope from the Lakers, Davis Bertans was already there, the same as ultra-talented Deni Avdija. Plus, one of the best college players, small forward Corey Kispert, was drafted. It is crowded, but head coach Wes Unseld Jr. has a good rotation and plenty of choices.

Toronto Raptors (-140) had a better preseason than the Wizards, winning three and losing two games. Nick Nurse’s guys defeated the 76ers, the Rockets, and the Wizards, while suffering defeats to Philly and Boston, both on the road.

Kyle Lowry left, which is a huge blow for the Raptors, but the veteran wanted to make another run at the title, and on the other side, the Raptors were planing a complete rebuild, meaning that their plans weren’t compatible.

The leaders of the team are Fred Van Vleet and Pascal Siakam, who is injured at the moment. But Nurse has many players who have enormous potential, and all of them can become Siakam in no time. The young coach is known for his ability to develop players who went under the radar on college or draft. Also, he has Scottie Barnes, the No.4 pick from this year’s draft.

Head to Head Games

The Raptors beat the Wizards a few days ago, 113-108. Kyle Kuzma had 24 points, while Gafford scored 14 with 17 boards. Malachi Flynn was the most efficient in Toronto, scoring 22 off the bench, while Sam Dekker had 18, also off the bench.

Prediction

The Raptors are back home, at their Scotiabank Arena. After not watching their favorites play for the entire season, we are more than sure that the fans are going to make a wild atmosphere tonight. That will be a huge advantage for the Raptors, who seem like a better team than the Wizards right now. Our suggestion here would be to bet on the hosts’ victory, and to do that with the spread involved. The gap isn’t too wide, -2.5 points.

Pick: Raptors -2.5 -110