Who's Playing
Matchup: Toronto Raptors vs. Washington Wizards
Records: Raptors (42-16); Wizards (24-33)
Where To Watch
Time: 7:30 p.m.
TV: TSN 1/3/4 and RDS2
Radio: Sportsnet 590 The FAN
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON
Game Preview
With a win on Wednesday, the Raptors will enter All-Star Weekend on a six-game winning streak. Standing in their way is a Wizards team they have already beaten three times this season.
Two of those three matchups have been competitive. In their second game of the season, the Raptors beat the Wizards by four points on their homecourt in Washington. More recently, the Raptors walked away with a 140-138 win in a double overtime thriller that saw Kawhi Leonard and Bradley Beal both score 40 points.
It was one of Beal's better games of the season, but the two-time All-Star has stepped his game up in a big way since John Wall last played on Dec. 26. In the 22 games since, Beal has posted 27.7 points, 6.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals per contest on 47.1 percent shooting from the field and 36.5 percent from 3-point range.
He has scored 30 or more points in nine of those games, his 43-point performance against the Raptors marking a season-high.
Like the Raptors, the Wizards made some moves at last week's trade deadline, sending Otto Porter. Jr to the Chicago Bulls for Bobby Portis and Jabari Parker.
Portis got off to a hot start with the Wizards by scoring 30 points in his debut, making him the first player in NBA history to score back-to-back 30-point games for different franchises in the same season, per ESPN Stats & Info. Parker has also given them a boost with averages of 9.0 points, 7.0 assists, 5.7 assists and 1.2 steals in 26.0 minutes off the bench.
The Wizards will need more of the same from those two players to give the Wizards a chance at ending the Raptors' latest win streak on Wednesday.
Game Notes
Jeremy Lin will clear waivers at 5:00 p.m. today. According to Josh Lewenberg of TSN, he is expected to make his Raptors debut against the Wizards.
Kawhi Leonard won't play on Wednesday.
Newly acquired Marc Gasol showed off his full arsenal in that win over the Nets with 11 points, three rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in the fourth quarter alone.
Kyle Lowry is 16-for-34 (47.1 percent) from 3-point range in his last four games.
The Raptors will host the Spurs in their first game after All-Star Weekend. It should be an emotional matchup, with DeMar DeRozan making his highly anticipated return to Toronto.
Last Time They Played
Date: Jan 13, 2019
Score: Raptors 140, Wizards 138
Raptors: Kawhi Leonard — 41 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals
Wizards: Bradley Beal — 43 points, 15 assists, 10 rebounds and three steals