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The Washington Wizards will play a back-to-back game when they face the Toronto Raptors at Amalie Arena on Thursday. The two teams are battling for a spot in the top 10 in the East for a chance to make the postseason via the play-in tournament.
Despite losing narrowly to the Milwaukee Bucks by 135-134 on Wednesday, the Washington Wizards (30-36) are still 10th in the Eastern Conference and are three games ahead of the Toronto Raptors (27-39).
This will be the third and final game between the Wizards and the Raptors this season. The latter won the first two, with the Wizards looking to avoid a season series sweep in their upcoming match.
Match Details
Fixture - Washington Wizards vs Toronto Raptors | 2020-21 NBA Season
Date & Time - Thursday, May 6th, 7:30 PM ET (Friday, May 7th, 5:00 AM IST)
Venue - Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL
Washington Wizards Preview
The Washington Wizards are playing with an urgency that would make many title contenders jealous. Though they’ve lost three of their last six games, the three losses have a combined score of five points. Two of the setbacks were by one point and the solitary three-point loss came in overtime.
In the loss to the Bucks last night, Bradley Beal erupted for 42 points, including a three with 5.3 seconds remaining, to pull the Washington Wizards within one. Russell Westbrook stole the ball but Garrison Matthews’ 52-foot heave failed to connect.
As they face the struggling Toronto Raptors, the Wizards will have to shake off the loss quickly and refocus on keeping their opponents away from gaining ground in the standings.
Key Player - Russell Westbrook
In the Bucks game, Russell Westbrook had another triple-double with 29 points, 12 rebounds and 17 assists. He’s now just two triple-doubles away from matching Oscar Robertson, who had 181 in his career.
Westbrook has six opportunities remaining this season to tie and then surpass the Big O for the all-time mark. But with the way the 2017 MVP has been playing lately, he will most probably break Robertson’s record in the next three to four games, beginning with the Toronto Raptors matchup.
He’s already recorded 15 triple-doubles in the last 18 games, including six straight at one point and four straight in another.
Washington Wizards Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Russell Westbrook l Shooting Guard - Raul Neto l Small Forward - Bradley Beal l Power Forward - Anthony Gill l Center - Alex Len
Toronto Raptors Preview
The Toronto Raptors have lost four of their last five games and are in need of a series of wins to get back on track for a spot in the play-in tournament. The Raptors thus can’t afford to lose the Washington Wizards game as they have only six matches remaining on their schedule.
If this is going to be Kyle Lowry’s last season in Toronto, his teammates will want to send him off with a playoff appearance and perhaps a deep playoff run, if possible.
To have any hopes of making the postseason, the Raptors will have to fix their offensive issues. In their last five games, the Toronto Raptors have been averaging just 107.4 points per match. It’s no wonder that they’ve only won once during that stretch.
Key Player - Kyle Lowry
Kyle Lowry missed the LA Clippers game on Tuesday due to a back injury, but he appears to be ready to play against the Washington Wizards.
After three consecutive poor outings, the Raptors guard has bounced back with three strong performances, averaging 27.0 points on 54.0 percent shooting from the field and a sizzling 59.4 percent from three.
He also added 8.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game during that stretch. Also included in that run is a 37-point, 11-assist game against the LA Lakers on Sunday.
When the Washington Wizards pay them a visit, Lowry will be hard-pressed to keep Westbrook from getting his triple-double, but the Raptors guard can make him work for it.
Toronto Raptors Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Kyle Lowry l Shooting Guard - Fred VanVleet l Small Forward - Stanley Johnson l Power Forward - Pascal Siakam l Center - Khem Birch
Wizards vs Raptors Match Prediction
There’s no question that the Washington Wizards are desperate to play in the postseason. They’ve won 13 of their last 17 games and have been in the NBA’s top 10 in offensive (No. 3) and defensive rating (No. 7) during that stretch.
But the Canadian squad won’t be an easy prey, with Lowry, Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam around. Nonetheless, the Washington Wizards can be expected to continue their remarkable run and hand the Toronto Raptors their fifth loss in six games.
Where to Watch Wizards vs Raptors?
The Washington Wizards vs Toronto Raptors game will be shown locally by NBC Sports Washington and Sportsnet ONE. International viewers can catch the game on NBA League Pass.
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