The Toronto Raptors are coming off a crushing defeat at the hands of the Boston Celtics going into their game against the Washington Wizards. Although Toronto's roster includes some true talent, the Raptors' entire roster structure has placed them in NBA purgatory—too good to miss the postseason, but not good enough to compete. That's the worst possible situation for a squad to be in.
Conversely, the Wizards took action this summer to start the process of rebuilding their roster. The team now possesses a true lead guard with exceptional scoring potential thanks to the acquisition of Jordan Poole. Because of his abilities to rebound and play defense, Kyle Kuzma is an excellent backup star to Anthony Davis. The Wizards are still a long way from being a competitive club, though.When the two clubs last played on March 26, the Raptors came out on top, winning 114-104. Observing how things unfold during Monday's game will be interesting because Washington's squad has changed significantly since their first meeting.
The Toronto Raptors have won four of their first nine games despite having a disorganized roster. As the main defender and offensive focal point, Scottie Barnes is being deployed. In secondary and tertiary positions, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby coexist. Beyond those three players, though, there is little room for improvement, which makes the Raptors vulnerable to periods of inactivity on both ends of the court.
Washington's record this season is 2–7. They will have a difficult year because they are a rebuilding team. The front staff will prioritize providing the team's younger players—such as newcomer Bilal Coulibaly, who showed promise in his early NBA seasons—with developmental minutes. Since the Wizards aren't at that point in their collective development, they won't be paying much attention to the win-loss column.
The starting lineup for the Toronto Raptors might be Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Dennis Schroder, Scottie Barnes, and Jakob Poeltl.
The Raptors are able to have a substantial amount of length on the field at all times when Barnes plays shooting guard. Toronto's game strategy is crystal clear: attack at a high tempo and put pressure on opposition defenses.
The starting five for the Washington Wizards might be Deni Avdija, Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Poole, Tyus Jones, and Daniel Gafford.
The starting five for Washington is loaded with shooters and rebounders. They do not, however, have a reliable point-of-attack defender. The Wizards' ability to advance will also depend on Avdija's offensive development.
All-NBA talent is Pascal Siakam. When given the chance, he is a true three-level scorer who can lead the Toronto Raptors offense. Right now, he scores 17.3 points per contest on average. Against the Wizards, Siakam is currently -111 to score more than 20.5 points and -115 to score less than 20.5 points. Taking the lead could make sense given the Wizards' weak defense.
As the new season gets underway, Jordan Poole is averaging two made threes a game. Right now, he is -200 to make more than 1.5 threes versus the Raptors. You can get the under at +154 if that's your preference.Despite starting games as a shooting guard, 6-foot-9 Scottie Barnes is capable of playing at the four position. He's starting the new season averaging 9.8 rebounds per game because of this. Against the Wizards, Barnes is +104 to pull down more than 8.5 rebounds and -132 to pull down fewer than 8.5.
When the Washington Wizards take on the Toronto Raptors, they are definite underdogs. On the moneyline, they are +315 and +9 on the spread. Toronto is a -400 favorite to win the game outright, indicating that the oddsmakers clearly prefer them.
Washington won't cover the spread since they don't have a top-notch defense. Despite having a disorganized roster, Toronto has enough scorers in the rotation to regularly score points. Going into the game, it makes a lot of sense to take the Raptors on the money line.The Wizards will be challenging on both sides of the court due of Toronto's length and size. It's possible that Siakam and Barnes will control the transition game. Nevertheless, the Raptors will probably have the advantage in rebounds. However, the Raptors will have to stay focused the entire game. These kinds of games are far too simple to take casually, and doing so can lead to an unexpected loss.
