The Toronto Raptors and their fourth-ranked offense travel to Washington to take on the Wizards and their fifth-ranked defense in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Friday, Apr. 24 and can be seen on ESPN 2 and TSN.
The Wizards enter this game hoping for similar success after topping the Raptors 117-106 on Tuesday. John Wall played a pivotal role, recording his 40th double-double of the season with 26 points and 17 assists. Patrick Patterson played well for Toronto, recording 15 points, four rebounds, and two steals
It will be a showdown of two heavyweights, as the prolific offense of the Raptors (fourth in the league with an offensive efficiency of 107.9) takes the court against the elite defense of the Wizards (fifth in the NBA with a defensive efficiency of 100.4).
The odds for Washington and Toronto are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. The Wizards have gone 46-36 Straight Up (SU) and 33-47-2 Against The Spread (ATS). While they boast a record of 19-7 against Eastern Conference opponents at home, they have struggled to beat the spread in those same games, going 9-16-1.
Over on the other bench, the Raptors have a record of 37-44-1 ATS and 49-33 SU. Against the Eastern Conference, Toronto is 33-19 SU and 24-28 ATS. The Raptors get to the line and convert their free throws at a high volume, ranking fourth in the league with 1,585 made (19.3 per game). Taking care of the basketball is something the Raptors do very well, averaging just 12.2 turnovers per game.
The Wizards’ win over Toronto in their last game wasn’t enough for them to overtake the Raptors in the recent head-to-head series. Their record is now 3-7 SU over the most recent 10 meetings. The Raptors also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. Washington held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice, while Toronto was never able to do so in their most recent 10 games.
Predictions: SU Winner – TOR, ATS Winner – TOR
Notes
Both Toronto and Washington rank zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Toronto scores 0.0 points per game, while Washington allows 0.0.
Toronto and Washington are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Toronto scores an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Washington allows 0.0 points at home on average.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Raptors are 30-6 on the season. When the Wizards score fewer than 100, they are a losing 17-28.
When the Toronto Raptors allow at least 100 points they are 19-27, while the Washington Wizards are 29-8 when they reach the century mark.
The Raptors have the fourth-best offensive rating in the NBA (107.9). The Wizards are also in the top half of the league based on their defensive rating of 100.4 (ranked fifth).
Ranked sixth in the NBA, Washington has an average field goal percentage of 46.2%. Toronto is 19-25 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Washington Wizards rank higher for their field goal percentage (sixth) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (13th). The Toronto Raptors rank higher for their effective field goal percentage (eighth) than they do for their field goal percentage (12th).
On average, the Washington Wizards make 24.0 assists per game and the Toronto Raptors make 20.7. Washington is ranked sixth, while Toronto is ranked 22nd.
The Washington Wizards average 4.6 blocks per game for a rank of 16th. The Toronto Raptors rank lower (23rd), earning 4.4 blocks each game.
Washington is ranked 19th in offensive rebounding. Toronto ranks 27th in defensive rebounds.
The Washington Wizards make an average of 7.3 steals per game. The Toronto Raptors are 25-19 when they allow 7 or more steals.
