Washington Wizards vs. Toronto Raptors Game Predictions (12-27-23)
The Washington Wizards (5-24) are at home to face the Toronto Raptors (11-18) at Capital One Arena. Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m. E.S.T.
This is the first time the Wizards are getting another shot at the Raptors after their 23-point collapse in Toronto earlier this year.
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In that first matchup the Raptors went on a 21-1 run to end the game.
The two teams will play two more times after this as Washington will look to even the season series at home tonight.
Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) battles for the ball with Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) during the fourth quarter at Scotiabank Arena.
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Gage Sheets: Wizards 114 Raptors 108
Well, after I was crazy enough to pick Washington to beat the Orlando Magic and yet I am again picking the Wizards to get it done against Toronto.
Washington proved they can hang with the Raptors when playing well even with the 23-point blown lead.
Even though epic collapses have been a large story of the season, improvements have been made.
One of the big reasons the Wizards lost that game was coach Wes Unseld Jr. decision to sit center Daniel Gafford the entire fourth quarter.
Unseld will not do that again and Gafford will stay out of foul trouble to contain Toronto center Pascal Siakam.
Look for Washington forward Kyle Kuzma to have a bounce back game tonight after struggling the last few games.
Carita Parks: Raptors 120, Wizards 115
With the Wizards playing their second day of a back-to-back and the Toronto Raptors desperately seeking to snap a three-game losing streak, this could be a tough matchup for the Wizards.
The last meeting was close and came down to a Wizards late game collapse. I expect this game to be close as well but think the Raptors may capitalize on the Wizards potentially having tired legs after facing the Magic on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, the Raptors had a couple of days off and time to regroup.
The other edge the Raptors have is their strength at rebounding which hasn't been the Wizards best stat line.
The Wizards have shown improvement over their past few games, but it may not be enough to beat a rested Raptors team that has had time to re-strategize after a losing skid.
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