NBA Playoffs 2018: Washington Wizards-Raptors Live Stream, Win Probabilities, Matchups and more
The Washington Wizards split four regular-season games against the Toronto Raptors, all without their All-Star point guard John Wall.
The Washington Wizards plummeted to the Eastern Conference’s No. 8 seed in the NBA playoffs 2018 and will face the No. 1 overall seed Toronto Raptors in the first round.
The season turned sour after their 101-109 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 28 after improving their record to 36-25. From there on, the Wizards lost 14 of their last 21 games to finish the 2017-18 season just four games above .500 at 43-39.
Their last season collapse saw them slip to second place in the division as the Miami Heat won the Southeast Division title.
More from Washington Wizards
- Washington Wizards Officially Introduce Dwight Howard (Video)
- Washington Wizards Could Be Landing Spot for Dwight Howard
- Washington Wizards Trade Marcin Gortat to Clippers
- Washington Wizards Final NBA Mock Draft Roundup: First-Round Picks
- Washington Wizards 2018 NBA Draft Scouting Profile: Robert Williams
John Wall, who pissed all four regular-season contests against the Raptors owns career averages versus Toronto of 19.2 points and eight assists in 36.5 minutes.
However, Wall averages a lofty 3.6 turnovers in his career against the Raptors, which will likely be the x-factor if the Wizards want to come away with the Game 1 upset.
In favor for the Wizards, the Raptors have lost 10 straight Game 1’s and the last time the Wizards and Raptors battled in the NBA playoffs, the Wizards swept Toronto 4-0.
Lastly, the Wizards will try to become the sixth 8-seed to beat a 1-seed in NBA playoffs history.
Wizards-Raptors Matchups
Our friend and FanSided’s Senior NBA Editor and Columnist Ian Levy at Nylon Calculus created a Raptors vs. Wizards offensive style chart:
Per Nylon Calculus, the graph is explained below:
"On the graph below you’€™ll see a line for each team€™s offense. As the line moves away from the center of the graph on each axis you’re seeing more of that stylistic trait. For example, shot selection shows a (hypothetically) more efficient shot selection the further you are from center. Here’s how the Raptors and Wizards match up."
The Wizards proved their ability to stretch the offense and create movement while Wall was sidelined this season. It’s important that Wall makes smart passes while also being aggressive towards the rim.
In the meantime, check out Positive Residual’s Wizards-Raptors defensive matchups from 2017-18.
Here's how the Raptors matched up defensively against the Wizards during the regular season. I touched briefly on how they dealt with Bradley Beal in the @NylonCalculus preview -- a collaboration with @AcrossTheCourt, @HickoryHigh, and @JacobEGoldstein. https://t.co/mKRE6J1WPp pic.twitter.com/ReJlcYakDr
— Positive Residual (@presidual) April 13, 2018
NBA Playoffs 2018: Wizards vs. Raptors Live Stream
Date: Saturday, April 14
Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
Location: Toronto, ON
Venue: Air Canada Centre
TV Info: ESPN, NBCSWA
Radio: 1500AM
Live Stream: Watch live on FuboTV. Sign up now for a free seven-day trial.
Wizards-Raptors Series Win Probabilities
- FanSided’s Nylon Calculus: Wizards 15 percent, Raptors 85 percent
- FiveThirtyEight: Wizards: 9 percent, Raptors 91 percent
- Sporting News: Raptors win series, 4-2
- CBSSports: Unanimous choice, Raptors
- Bleacher Report: Raptors sweep, 4-0
Next: Wizards vs. Raptors First Round Schedule
The Washington Wizards have a chance to restart their season and start with a clean slate in the NBA playoffs 2018. If they can somehow steal Game 1, which isn’t that far-fetched, the Wizards have a chance to steal the series with two wins at home when the series shifts to Washington.