Expect fireworks to erupt at Air Canada Centre this coming Saturday as the Toronto Raptors and the Washington Wizards lock horns in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference First Round matchup. Paul Pierce stirred the pot with his dissing of the Raptors in an interview prior to the series so tensions are bound to get high in what is expected to be a tough and long showdown.
Game 1 — April 18, 12:30 PM ET, Washington Wizards (+4.5) at Toronto Raptors (-4.5); total: 193.0 – view all NBA lines
Game 2 — April 21, 8:00 PM ET, Washington Wizards at Toronto Raptors
Game 3 — April 24, 8:00 PM ET, Toronto Raptors at Washington Wizards
Game 4 — April 26, 7:00 PM ET, Toronto Raptors at Washington Wizards
Game 5* — April 29, Time TBD, Washington Wizards at Toronto Raptors
Game 6* — May 1, Time TBD, Toronto Raptors at Washington Wizards
Game 7* — May 3, Time TBD, Washington Wizards at Toronto Raptors
* If necessary
Betting on the Washington Wizards
“We haven’t done particularly well against Toronto, but I don’t feel they have the `It’ that makes you worried.”
[sc:NBA240banner ]You have to admire Paul Pierce’s confidence in himself and the Wizards as they embark on what is expected to be a long and grueling series with the Toronto Raptors. Even though they lost all three games against the Raptors this season, the veteran is unwavering in his belief that Washington will pull off the series win.
For the Wizards to back up Pierce’s words, they need to bring to the series their top-notch defense. The Wizards are ninth in the NBA in scoring defense, allowing just 97.8 points per game. They are fifth in the league in defensive efficiency, allowing an average of 0.997 points per possession.
They will need to bring that same defensive intensity on the road where they have struggled mightily this season. They are just 17-24 this season away from home. Their defense has been found wanting in those road games with their defensive efficiency skyrocketing to 1.026 points per possession in those contests.
Their failings on the defensive end were pretty much evident in their three-game series with the Raptors. The Raptors scored an average of 106.0 points against them this season. That’s way above the Wizards’ season average in the defensive charts.
Pierce may have delivered the firing shots but it will be the play of John Wall that will prove to be the deciding factor in this series. Wall has proven to be a talented two-way player for the Wizards this season, averaging 17.6 points, 10.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game, all team-high numbers.
If he can grab the advantage in his matchup with Kyle Lowry, the Wizards have a shot of upsetting the higher-seeded Raptors. He averaged 19.0 points, 9.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds against the Raptors this season.
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Betting on the Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors will head to their first-round clash with Washington with a spring in their step after eking out a 92-87 win over the Charlotte Hornets in their final regular-season game on Wednesday night. With the victory, the Raptors established a new mark as they finished the season with a franchise-record 49 wins.
Four players scored in double-figures for the Raptors who shot 49.4% from the field against the Hornets. Leading the way for Toronto was Kyle Lowry who scored 26 points on 8-of-15 field goal shooting. It was his best performance since missing seven straight games with a back injury. After going 1 of 13 from beyond the arc in his first two games back from injury, Lowry shook off the cobwebs against the Nuggets, going 6 of 9 from the three-point area.
That is great news for the Raptors who will need a perfectly healthy Lowry if they are to advance deep in the playoffs. Lowry has been a vital cog to Toronto’s success this season, averaging 17.8 points per outing. He is also Toronto’s main facilitator, dishing out a team-high 6.8 assists per contest.
He was a key factor in Toronto’s three-game sweep of Washington this past regular season, averaging 16.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists against the Wizards. Lowry even grabbed a triple-double in Toronto’s opening win against Washington, putting up 13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a convincing 103-84 victory.
Lowry is the engine that makes this Raptors offense hum. If Lowry can rediscover his old form, it would make a world of difference for DeMar Derozan and Lou Williams on the offensive end. They are averaging 20.1 and 15.5 points per game respectively for the Raptors this campaign. The Raptors are the best-scoring team in the Eastern Conference, averaging 104.0 points per game this season.
