Raptors Ready To Bounce Back Against Wizards: Preview & Three Keys
Game 3 did not go according to plan for the Toronto Raptors. However, one loss will not stop them in their quest for redemption.
Friday night’s contest against the Washington Wizards did not go the way the Toronto Raptors would have liked. Coming off of two thrilling victories on home court, Toronto lost their first game of the 2018 Postseason. The Raptors will look to get back to their winning ways in Sunday’s Game 4.
Bradley Beal and John Wall were nearly impossible to contain in Game 3. Washington’s All-Star duo combined for 56 of their team’s 122 points. Being able to limit Beal and Wall’s scoring will be a major factor in a potential Game 4 Raptors victory.
Kelly Oubre Jr had a solid bounce back game for Washington. In 26 minutes of play the 22-year old scored 12 points. The Wizards’ secondary scorers are beginning to step up.
Serge Ibaka must regain his dominance in Sunday’s contest. Ibaka was quiet on the scoresheet on Friday scoring just 3 points in 29 minutes. The 27-year old nearly came to blows with John Wall in the third quarter.
Fred VanVleet did not play in Game 3 but it is evident that the Raptors will need him in Sunday’s contest. Delon Wright’s numbers on Friday were slightly concerning. Wright scored just 5 points and only had 1 assist in 19 minutes of play.
For the first time in this series Toronto failed to record 20 assists as a team. In Game 1 the Raptors had 29 and 26 in Game 2. Kyle Lowry once again lead the way with a team-high 8 dimes.
Game 4 will be pivotal for the Raptors. They will either head back home with a commanding 3-1 lead or, this series will be right back to square one.
3 Keys
- Limit Turnovers. The Raptors turned the ball over an astounding 19 times on Friday. Twelve of those turnovers came in the first half. Toronto cannot afford to get sloppy with the ball early in Game 4 or else they could find themselves trying to get out of a hole all night long.
- Win the mental battle. Friday’s contest showed that the Raptors will not prevail when they let their emotions get in the way. Winning the mental battle will be as important as outscoring the Wizards on Sunday. Toronto performs at a higher level when they control their emotions rather than allow them to make silly mistakes.
- Secondary scoring. Toronto needs more from the “Bench Mob” in Game 4. CJ Miles converted on just 1 of 5 shots from beyond the arc on Friday. The Raptors would love for Siakam and Wright to play how they did back at home. Expect the reserve scoring of the Raptors to be a deciding factor in a potential victory.
Prediction
Toronto is going to need a big bounce back victory on Sunday. If the team can stick to what gave them their 2-0 lead they should once again handily defeated the Wizards. The Raptors won the rebounding battle in the first two games, but not on Friday. They must do so, thereby dominating Washington in the paint.
Expect Toronto’s young reserves to get back on track and help propel the team to its third victory of the 2018 Playoffs.
Final Score: Raptors 126 – Wizards 117
Tip-Off: 6:00 PM EST