Two of the most dynamic duos in the league face off in this first round series as the tandem of Bradley Beal and John Wall lead the Washington Wizards against the pair of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors beginning this Saturday. Read on for the preview of Game 1 of this series.
The Wizards ended their regular season campaign on a sour, embarrassing note by losing to the lowly Orlando Magic on the road on Wednesday, 101-92. A playoff-bound team like the Wizards had no reason to lose like that to a lottery squad like the Magic, but they did no thanks to their cold shooting night described by its 34.7 field goal shooting percentage in the game. The Wizards are a better team than that. John Wall and Bradley Beal still form one of the most talented backcourts in the NBA, and the Wizards are going to need those two in top form to negate whatever production DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry are going to have. Beal comes into Game 1 of the Toronto series having averaged 22.0 points in his last five games. Wall also averaged 22.0 points in his last five games to go with 12.0 assists, though, he will have to cut down on his 7.0 turnovers mark over that span. The Wizards are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 trips north of the border.
Like the Wizards, the Raptors fell on their faces in their own regular season finale on Wednesday when the fell victim in overtime to the Miami Heat in South Beach, 116-109. That loss does not change the fact, though, that Toronto finished the regular season inside the top five in both offensive and defensive efficiency ratings. The Raptors also ended the regular season fourth in scoring with 111.7 points per game and sixth in defense with just 103.9 points allowed per contest. Also worth noting is the Raptors’ bench that generates 41.8 points a night. The Raptors also won the last time both them and Washington shared the court, eking out a 102-95 road win on Mar. 2. The Raptors are 4-0 SU and 2-1-1 ATS in their last five games at home.
