Washington Wizards (0-0) vs. Toronto Raptors (0-0)
October 20, 2021 7:30 pm EDT
The Line: Toronto Raptors -2.5; Over/Under: +218.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors meet Wednesday in NBA action at the Scotiabank Arena. The Washington Wizards won 34 games last season and will make the coaching debut under Wes Unseld. The Toronto Raptors finally return home after a year in Tampa, and they’re coming off a 27-win season.
The Washington Wizards made a lot of changes this off season, including the trade of Russell Westbrook. The Wizards brought in Aaron Holiday, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Spencer Dinwiddie and drafted Corey Kispert. That’s a hell of an off season for the Wizards and gives Bradley Beal possibly the most help he’s had in his NBA career. Of course, Rui Hachimura is making positive strides in his NBA career and Davis Bertans has proven to be one of the better shooters in the league when he’s right. The Wizards are quietly putting together an intriguing roster and could be a sneaky team when it comes to the playoff race. I’ll be watching the Wizards closey this season.
The Toronto Raptors will look weird without Kyle Lowry at point guard, and the keys have been given to Fred VanVleet in the back court. Goran Dragic adds nice veteran depth to the Raptors roster, and the forward tandem of OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam is still around. Obviously, Siakam needs to return to form if the Raptors are going to be a factor in the East again. Gary Trent Jr. will have a full season with the Raptors, which is promising after averaging 16.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 15 starts. Scottie Barnes, who was the fourth overall pick in the NBA Draft, is an above-average defender and a great distributor who adds high upside to the Raptors roster. I expect the Raptors to be a feisty bunch that tops last year’s win total.
The Wizards are 12-4-1 ATS in their last 17 road games and 20-8-1 ATS in their last 29 games overall. The Raptors are 0-4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games and 1-4-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall. The over is 4-1 in Wizards last 5 overall. The under is 6-2 in Raptors last 8 home games. The Wizards are 3-1-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Toronto.
I’m very intrigued by the Wizards this season and believe they have a chance to be better than most think. However, the Raptors still have an OKish roster that’s capable of winning a decent amount of games this season. This is also the return of the Raptors after playing in the bubble and then playing last year in Tampa. While expectations have shrunk, Raptors fans have to be thrilled to have basketball back where they can see it. I expect a good crowd that helps the home team. Give me the Raptors.
