Two teams with nothing to play for going at it tonight. Can the Toronto Raptors gift their fans with another W, or is that too much to ask?
As both teams look to wrap up their season, the Washington Wizards are in town for one last visit up north. While this game is devoid of any relevant storyline, and with neither team having anything to play for, tonight’s game is all about giving the fans a game that they can watch and find silver linings in.
The Wizards have given their fanbase a little bit of something to appease them by winning four of their last nine games. That feels like a 10-game winning streak for these two teams that went on several losing streaks during the season.
Tonight’s game probably means more to both teams’ front offices as they continue to evaluate the young players, end-of-the-bench players, and coaches on the sidelines. With Kyle Kuzma, Landry Shamet, Marvin Bagley III, and Richaun Holmes out, the Wizards should feature their young pieces heavily tonight, with Jordan Poole as their tank commander.
Gary Trent Jr. and Bruce Brown are both available vs Washington today. This is as healthy as the Raptors have been in a while, though they’re still missing Barnes, Poeltl, Boucher, Carton and Porter.
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) April 7, 2024
Meanwhile, the Raptors look to maximize the reps of Immanuel Quickley as the lead ball handler and give Gradey Dick as many minutes as possible. Unfortunately for Gradey, Gary Trent Jr. and Bruce Brown got upgraded to “available” for tonight’s game, so he’ll have to pick his spots in the offense. Also, coach Darko’s non-committal about whether we’ll see Scottie Barnes play before they wrap up the season. There’s a little incentive to see him play for at least one more game, per TSN’s Keerthika Uthayakumar. If Barnes scores 26 points for one more game, he can say that he’s officially averaged 20 points per game!
Scottie Barnes needs to score 26 points in one game to average 20.0 points instead of 19.9 points.
— Keerthika Uthayakumar (@keerthikau) April 7, 2024
Please. https://t.co/enipwNOyQv
Also, former Raptors fan-favourite Justin Champagnie will likely see action for the Wizards tonight, and who knows, maybe the Raptors are due for a Justin Champagnie revenge game.
Game Info:
How to Watch: 6:00pm ET on Sportsnet
Lineups:
Toronto: Immanuel Quickley, Gary Trent Jr., Ochai Agbaji, RJ Barrett, Kelly Olynyk
Washington: Jordan Poole, Corey Kispert, Johnny Davis, Tristan Vukcevic, Deni Avdija
Injuries:
Toronto: Scottie Barnes (Out — hand), Jakob Poeltl (out — hand), Chris Boucher (Out — knee), DJ Carton (Out — ankle), Jontay Porter (Out — personal)
Washington: Marvin Bagley III (Out — knee), Bilal Coulibaly (Out — wrist), Richaun Holmes (Questionable — toe), Tyus Jones (Out — back), Kyle Kuzma (Out — ankle), Landry Shamet (Out — calf), Anthony Gill (Questionable — knee)
