The Toronto Raptors will face off with the Washington Wizards as part of tonight’s 12-game NBA slate.
Both of these Eastern Conference opponents are off to 1-0 starts to the season. The Raptors are looking to build on their convincing victory over the Chicago Bulls, while the Wizards defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in their season opener.
Looking at the odds for tonight’s matchup, the Raptors enter as 8.5-point favorites with -340 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Wizards are +270 to pull off the upset, with the game total set at 237.5 points.
Raptors vs. Wizards Preview
The Toronto Raptors are looking to build off a 46-36 record last season, which earned them the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. The youthful core got some postseason seasoning, losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games in the opening round. Toronto was clearly not satisfied, taking the big swing to trade for franchise legend Kawhi Leonard in the offseason to further climb up the hierarchy of NBA contenders.
To kick off the 2026-27 season, the Raptors produced a commanding 135-92 victory over the Chicago Bulls. Toronto led from wire-to-wire, expanding the lead to as many as 48 and limiting each member of their starting lineup to fewer than 29 minutes each due to the nature of the blowout. Even with the limited minutes, four members of the starting lineup scored 20+ points, and the defensive-minded identity of the Raptors was put on display.
Scottie Barnes has played a major role in establishing the identity of the franchise. He is joined by Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, and Leonard in the starting lineup. Collin Murray-Boyles, Ja’Kobe Walter, Allen Graves, and Jamal Shead will each also play notable roles.
The Washington Wizards are quietly one of the more intriguing teams in the NBA entering this season. They limped to a 17-65 record last year, but selected A.J. Dybantsa with the first overall pick and made midseason trades to bring in Trae Young and Anthony Davis. Adding these established stars to a youthful core gives Washington plenty of potential as head coach Brian Keefe continues to implement his vision for the roster.
That potential was on display in the season-opening 128-116 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Davis led the way with 34 points and 12 rebounds, while showing encouraging chemistry with Young. The former assist champion finished with 20 points and 13 assists, bringing valuable veteran experience to an otherwise young roster. This is all while Dybantsa missed the opener due to an ankle injury that will keep him sidelined for tonight.
In addition to the mentioned stars, there is plenty of young talent to be excited about on this Washington roster. Bilal Coulibaly has taken encouraging strides in his development, Alex Sarr has shown flashes of an All-NBA defender, and Kyshawn George has consistently found ways to positively impact the game in his young career. Tre Johnson and Bub Carrington also have a place in the youthful foundation, and Washington added Deandre Ayton and brought back Khris Middleton for additional veteran voices in the locker room.
Raptors vs. Wizards Pick, Best Bet
Both teams should be encouraged by their opening matchup performance and deserve more attention as Eastern Conference threats.. My lean would be towards the Wizards keeping this game competitive and within the 8.5-point spread at home tonight.
However, I am backing the game total to remain under the 237.5 game total in this matchup as my best bet.
Both these teams have defensive-minded identities and are still scratching the surface of how good they can be on this side of the floor. The early returns from the Raptors were more encouraging, as they limited the Bulls to just 92 points in the season opener. Chicago was held to just 32% shooting from the field and 11% on three-point attempts in the matchup. They tallied just 27 made baskets and turned the ball over 27 times, with Toronto clicking on all cylinders on the defensive side of the ball for stretches of this game. This is especially impressive against a Bulls team that built an identity last year playing at a fast pace with a variety of ball handlers on the floor.
Washington held Milwaukee to 116 points in their opening matchup, with the Bucks having more offensive success than the Wizards desired. There were some growing pains, as expected, in this new-look roster. But Davis and Sarr both crack the shortlist of the best shot-blockers in the NBA as the foundation of the defense. There is plenty of length and athleticism across the roster, and the bulk of the young talent shows strong commitment on this side of the floor. It was not a stellar start to the season defensively, but the clear vision for what this team can be is evident.
Count on both teams to be up for the challenge defensively in this matchup and for the game total to be too high given the context. Both Chicago and Milwaukee project as poor defensive teams, and expect scoring to be more difficult for each side tonight when looking at the other side of the matchup. It is difficult to see either team having a clear path to scoring at a high rate, and expect this to show in the game total. Buckle up for some high-level defense from this pair of hungry, youthful teams and for both sides to need to earn every single basket throughout as the two teams fail to combine for close to the 237.5 game total.
