Toronto Raptors at Washington Wizards

·Fri Oct 23·7:00 PM ET·MNMT,NBA League Pass·Washington, DC

By JR·2 min read

Raptors(1-0)

Wizards(1-0)

Friday 10/237:00 PM

TLDR: Washington opened its season by dragging the Bucks through a 38-23 fourth quarter without its No. 1 pick. Friday night against Toronto could be the night AJ Dybantsa finally shows up on the floor.

FRI 10/23, FRI OCT 23, 7:00 PMMNMT NBA League Pass

Raptors

(1-0)

Wizards

(1-0)

Toronto makes its first road trip of the season to face a Washington team that beat Milwaukee 128-116 behind 34 points and 12 rebounds from Anthony Davis and 20 points and 13 assists from Trae Young. The main question is whether No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa, day-to-day with a mild ankle sprain, makes his debut. The other is whether a Wizards team that shot 6-for-28 from 3 and still won on the glass and at the line can do that again against a Raptors club whose only listed absence is Nate Bittle.

Toronto Raptors

Only listed absence is Nate Bittle (foot)
Were 9.5-point favorites in their home opener
Healthier frontcourt than Washington's thinned rotation
First road game of the season
Bittle's foot keeps a big out of the rotation

Washington Wizards

Davis dropped 34 and 12 in his debut
Young's 13 assists drove the offense
Outscored Milwaukee 38-23 in the 4th quarter
Shot 6-for-28 from 3 in the opener
Vukcevic and Watkins out, thin frontcourt
Dybantsa's ankle still day-to-day

This is the Wizards' second game and Toronto's first road trip. The Raptors opened at home against Chicago on Wednesday at Scotiabank Arena as 9.5-point favorites, so they come in expected to be the steadier team. Washington comes in as the more interesting one. Anthony Davis put up 34 points and 12 rebounds in his Wizards debut, Trae Young added 20 and 13 assists, and the new pairing already looks like a real starting point.

Dybantsa is the big unknown. He rolled his left ankle against New Orleans to finish the preseason, scoring 12 points in 15 minutes before he came down awkwardly on a jump shot. Washington ruled him out of the opener with a mild sprain and lists him as day-to-day, and Friday is his first chance to play. The Wizards haven't committed to a return date, so treat his debut as possible, not promised.

The opener was more grind than shooting show for Washington. The Wizards went 6-for-28 from 3 and trailed by 3 heading into the 4th. They still won by 12 because they beat Milwaukee at the free-throw line and on the glass, then took over the final 12 minutes. A team that can win a game where it can't hit a jumper is worth taking seriously, but it's not a formula you want to rely on every night.

Toronto's report is short. Nate Bittle (foot) was ruled out for the Chicago opener, and nothing is listed beyond that. Washington's list is longer: Tristan Vukcevic (hip) isn't due for re-evaluation for 4 weeks, and Jamir Watkins is out after surgery on a torn ACL. That leaves Washington's frontcourt rotation thin behind Davis, and a full Raptors front line can test that on the glass, the same edge that won the Wizards the opener.

Tipoff is 7:00 PM ET on Friday, October 23, at Capital One Arena. Two things to watch: whether Washington's 3-point shooting gets anywhere near normal, and whether Dybantsa's ankle lets Keefe add the No. 1 pick to a rotation that already beat a playoff-caliber opponent without him. If both go Washington's way, Toronto's first road game gets a lot harder.

Toronto Raptors at Washington Wizards

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