The Toronto Raptors and their fourth-ranked offense welcome the Washington Wizards and their fifth-ranked defense in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Apr. 21 and can be seen on NBA TV and TSN.
The Raptors are hoping for a better outcome after their 93-86 loss to the Wizards on Saturday. Amir Johnson was the team’s leading scorer with 18 points. Paul Pierce led the game in scoring by accounting for 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting.
This showdown pits one of the league’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses, as Toronto currently ranks fourth in the NBA in offensive efficiency and Washington is fifth in defensive efficiency.
The odds for Toronto and Washington are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. The Raptors have gone 49-33 Straight Up (SU) and 37-44-1 Against The Spread (ATS). While they boast a record of 16-10 against Eastern Conference opponents at home, they have struggled to beat the spread in those same games, going 10-16. The Raptors are one of the best in the NBA in terms of free throws made, making an impressive 19.3 per game. Not making mistakes with the ball is a staple of Toronto’s offense, which averages just 12.2 turnovers per game.
Over on the other bench, the Wizards have a record of 33-47-2 ATS and 46-36 SU. Against the Eastern Conference, Washington is 30-22 SU and 21-30-1 ATS.
In their previous meeting this season, Washington beat Toronto, but the win was not enough to overtake Toronto in the recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 3-7 SU over the last 10 meetings. With a 6-4 record, the Raptors also have the advantage ATS. Washington held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers two times in the last 10 matchups. On the other side of the court, Toronto never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – TOR, ATS Winner – TOR
Notes
Both Washington and Toronto rank zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Washington scores 0.0 points per game, while Toronto gives up 0.0.
Washington and Toronto are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Washington scores an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Toronto allows 0.0 points at home on average.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Washington Wizards are an outstanding 39-10. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Toronto Raptors have a subpar record of 11-18.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Wizards are just 7-26 this season. Toronto is a winning 38-15 when registering triple digits.
The Raptors have a defensive rating of 104.7 (ranked 23rd), while the Wizards rank 22nd for their offensive rating of 101.1.
The Washington Wizards have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking sixth in the league with a FG% of 46.2%. When their opponents have a similar or higher FG%, the Toronto Raptors are 19-25.
The Toronto Raptors rank lower for their field goal percentage (12th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (eighth), but the Washington Wizards have a better FG% ranking (sixth) than their EFF% ranking (13th).
Toronto makes an average of 20.7 assists per game (ranked 22nd). Washington ranks higher in assists with 24.0 (ranked sixth).
The Toronto Raptors average 4.4 blocks per game for a rank of 23rd. The Washington Wizards rank higher (16th), earning 4.6 blocks each contest.
The Toronto Raptors are a top-15 offensive rebounding team, currently ranked 15th for the season. The Washington Wizards rank near the very top (fifth) in defensive rebounding.
Toronto averages 7.5 steals per game. Washington is 30-25 when allowing at least 7 steals.
