It was to be a terrific matchup of All-Star point guards on Thursday night of Toronto’s Kyle Lowry and Washington’s John Wall – not to mention a possible playoff preview – but the Wizards got bad news on Wall this week, which will affect their NBA odds for quite a while.
The Wizards improved to 7-6 without Wall on Tuesday in a 102-96 home upset of Oklahoma City, which entered on an eight-game winning streak. Satoransky missed all four of his shots and scored just four points, but also had five rebounds, six assists, two steals and a block. Frazier also missed all four of his shots, but didn’t score and added just three rebounds, one assist and one steal to his 15-minute line. Otto Porter had 25 points and Beal 21.
A total of 14 of Washington’s last 24 wins have come with opponent scoring under 100 points. The Wizards rank third in opponent three-point percentage at .336. Washington held Oklahoma City to a 28.1 shooting night from three, the 18th time this season that its opponent has shot under 30 percent from three in a game, tied for the most in the league this season.
The Wizards also held the Thunder to just 30 made field goals in the game, the fewest field goals allowed in a game this season. The last time the Wizards allowed 30-or-fewer baskets in a game was Jan. 27. 2017, when they held the Hawks to 30-83 shooting.
How to Bet Raptors at Wizards NBA Odds & Game Info
When: Thursday, 7 PM ET Where: Capital One Arena, Washington TV: NBA League Pass, Sportsnet One, CNSW Stream: NBA League Pass Radio: 1050 AM (Toronto) / 1500 AM (Washington) NBA Odds: Raptors -3 (215)Freeze frame! #BellLetsTalk pic.twitter.com/Cesib8w4L6
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) January 31, 2018
Season Series
The teams have split two meetings in Toronto – Wall missed both. On Nov. 5, Washington won 107-96 as a 6.5-point underdog. Bradley Beal scored 38 points, Otto Porter Jr. had 19 and the Wizards never trailed. Marcin Gortat added 11 points and 12 rebounds. Toronto’s Lowry was ejected with 8:08 remaining in the second quarter after picking up two technical fouls in quick succession for arguing. Lowry finished with two points in 12 minutes. On Nov. 19, the Raptors were 6.5-point favorites again and won 100-91. DeMar DeRozan had 33 points. Bradley Beal scored 27 points, and Marcin Gortat had 12 points and 12 rebounds for Washington. Beal scored 23 points in the first half but made just two of eight attempts in the second half. The Raptors have won 14 of the last 17 games against the Wizards in the regular-season, including seven straight in Washington.Why Bet on Toronto?
The Raptors are battling Boston for the best record in the Eastern Conference. Toronto won its second straight game Tuesday, 109-104 over visiting Minnesota. DeRozan scored 23 points, and Jonas Valanciunas had 18 points and 11 rebounds and the Raptors rallied from a 13-point deficit. Lowry and Serge Ibaka each scored 15 points and Jakob Poeltl had six of his 12 points in the fourth quarter as the Raptors won their 14th straight home meeting with Minnesota. Fred VanVleet was able to take care of his family and his newborn child, skip shootaround and overcome a doubtful label to play on Tuesday. He finished with 10 points, two rebounds, two assists and a 3-pointer in 21 minutes, once again easily outplaying Delon Wright as the backup to Lowry. The Raptors were without swingman C.J. Miles with knee soreness. Miles is averaging 18.6 minutes per game off the bench this season. It’s not clear if he’ll return Thursday.How Well Has Toronto Improved?
Toronto improved to 28-8 this season when recording 20-or-more assists in a game. The Raptors currently rank 12th in the NBA in assists per game (23.5). Lowry leads the team averaging 6.6 assists, while DeRozan is averaging a career-high 5.2 assists. DeRozan finished with at least five assists in 12 of 15 games in January and averaged 5.9 assists last month. Toronto dished out 20+ assists 34 times (26-8) last season. DeRozan and Lowry will represent Toronto at the 2018 NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles for a third straight season. Washington’s 3-13 record against Toronto in the last four years is the lowest winning percentage against any team in the Eastern Conference.Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 111.06
- Field Goals: 46.65%
- Three Points: 34.96%
- Free Throws: 79.86%
- Rebounds: 43.76
- Average Score Against: 103.84
- Field Goals: 44.82%
- Three Points: 34.98%
- Free Throws: 76.41%
- Rebounds: 42.67
Why Bet on Washington?
Wall had knee surgery on Wednesday and will miss 6-8 weeks; he had the procedure now in hopes of returning 100 percent by the final few games of the regular season to get ready for the playoffs. If Wall is sidelined for two months, he would sit out more than 25 games and return for the last half-dozen or so of the regular season. The procedure will keep Wall out of the All-Star Game. The arthroscopy was performed at the Cleveland Clinic Marymount by Dr. Richard D. Parker, the orthopedic surgeon who did Wall’s two knee surgeries in May 2016 and also consulted with him in November, when he initially was injured. In 37 games, Wall is averaging 19.4 points and 9.3 assists in 34.3 minutes. In his absence, the Wizards, 28-22 and fifth in the Eastern Conference, likely will split the Wall’s minutes between second-year player Tomas Satoransky and Tim Frazier.How Well Have the Wizards Improved?
The Wizards improved to 7-6 without Wall on Tuesday in a 102-96 home upset of Oklahoma City, which entered on an eight-game winning streak. Satoransky missed all four of his shots and scored just four points, but also had five rebounds, six assists, two steals and a block. Frazier also missed all four of his shots, but didn’t score and added just three rebounds, one assist and one steal to his 15-minute line. Otto Porter had 25 points and Beal 21.
A total of 14 of Washington’s last 24 wins have come with opponent scoring under 100 points. The Wizards rank third in opponent three-point percentage at .336. Washington held Oklahoma City to a 28.1 shooting night from three, the 18th time this season that its opponent has shot under 30 percent from three in a game, tied for the most in the league this season.
The Wizards also held the Thunder to just 30 made field goals in the game, the fewest field goals allowed in a game this season. The last time the Wizards allowed 30-or-fewer baskets in a game was Jan. 27. 2017, when they held the Hawks to 30-83 shooting.
Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 107
- Field Goals: 46.40%
- Three Points: 37.55%
- Free Throws: 75.99%
- Rebounds: 42.80
- Average Score Against: 105.36
- Field Goals: 45.46%
- Three Points: 33.56%
- Free Throws: 76.49%
- Rebounds: 43.64
