The NBA regular season continues with games on Friday. The Toronto Raptors will hit the road and take on the Washington Wizards. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Raptors-Wizards prediction and pick.
These two teams have had very similar starts to the season. The Toronto Raptors are 21-21 and have lost four of their last five games. While the Washington Wizards are 23-22 and are coming off of a very disappointing loss. This should be a competitive matchup between two solid teams.
Here are the Raptors-Wizards NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Raptors-Wizards Odds
Toronto Raptors: +1 (-110)
Washington Wizards: -1 (-110)
Over: 218.5 (-110)
Under: 218.5 (-110)
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Why The Raptors Could Cover The Spread
The Toronto Raptors have had a roller coaster of a year so far. They have had to deal with numerous injuries and COVID absences, yet through it all, they have come out okay. Through the first half of the season, they are dead even with 21 wins and 21 losses. However, they have been struggling recently losing four of their last five games. Their most recent defeat came at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks by four. That was a winnable game for Toronto but they just came up short. If the Raptors want to win on Friday they will need to improve on that performance and try to take some steps in the right direction.
When Toronto battled Dallas they came up short for one reason, horrible shooting. The Raptors shooting efficiency against the Mavs was one of the worst of any game for them this season. They took 91 shots and only made 35 of them, less than 39%. On top of that, they only made eight of their 32 three-point attempts. If Toronto continues to shoot this poorly then they will surely struggle against any team. It is surprising that this game came down to only four points. While the Raptors lacked efficiency, they managed to somewhat make up for it in pure volume. Toronto will need to do better if they want to win on Friday.
One thing that has been persistent for this Raptors team is injuries and COVID. Toronto has struggled to field a fully healthy roster all season, and that narrative somewhat continues on Friday. The Raptors have four players listed on their injury report. Of those players, two are questionable for Friday's match. While Toronto may have some injuries, they are healthier than they have been for most of the season. The Raptors have a good enough team to come out on top in this match, they just need to play up to their ability.
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Why The Wizards Could Cover The Spread
The Washington Wizards have also been all over the place this year. Some nights they look like one of the most competitive teams in the league and then on other nights they can barely hang with the worst teams. Washington tends to play down to their competition, so this will likely be a close game. Through the first half of the season, the Wizards have managed to squeak out a winning record with 23 wins and 22 losses. They are coming off a tough one-point loss to the Brooklyn Nets without KD. That was a winnable game for Washington, but they just came up short. The Wizards will need to do better if they want to win on Friday.
The Wizards-Nets match really could have gone either way, but Brooklyn just managed to come out on top. Washington did a good job at making a late run in the game, but it was too little too late. One of the most impressive things that Washington was able to do in that game was getting to the line. The Wizards took 32 free throws and made 26 of them. The Nets only took 20 free throws and made 17 of them. If Washington capitalized on a few more of their opportunities they would have come out ahead. The Wizards should be able to bounce back on Friday.
Perhaps the biggest thing going this team's way is the lack of injuries. Like every team in the league, the Wizards had been battling with both COVID and injuries. Yet, as of now, they currently have zero players listed on their injury report. This is huge for Washington as they can finally field a fully healthy roster and start gaining momentum. Expect the Wizards to come out ready on Friday.
Final Raptors-Wizards Prediction & Pick
This game could easily come down to the wire. Both of these teams are competitive and will play hard on Friday. With that said, Washington has the edge here. The Wizards are finally getting into a groove and they are going to start consistently winning games very soon. We're at the early stages of a second half of the season run for Washington that seems likely to come and it all starts on Friday. Pick the Wizards to win and cover.
FINAL RAPTORS-WIZARDS PICK: Washington Wizards -1 (-110)
FINAL RAPTORS-WIZARDS SCORE PREDICTION: Wizards 113 – Raptors 108
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