Raptors at Wizards
The last time the Toronto Raptors visited the nation's capital they ended the Washington Wizards' season in the first round of the playoffs. A very different Raptors squad with a new superstar leading the way invades Washington on Saturday for a rematch, with Toronto aiming to open the season 3-0.
Behind 31 points and 10 rebounds from Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors rolled to an impressive 113-101 win over the Boston Celtics on Friday, giving them wins over each of last spring's Eastern Conference finalists (Cleveland being the other) to begin the season. "That's a good home win. That's a home win right there," coach Nick Nurse told reporters after his team erased an early seven-point deficit by scoring 95 points over the final three quarters. The Wizards nearly had a season-opening win in their pocket before allowing a putback in the closing moments and falling 113-112 to Miami on Thursday. John Wall and Bradley Beal, who combined to average 49.2 points in the six-game series against Toronto in the playoffs, had 46 in the loss.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBA TV, TSN (Toronto), NBCS Washington
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (2-0): Leonard is averaging 27.5 points and 11 rebounds through his first two games with his new team. Serge Ibaka contributed 21 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Kyle Lowry added 15 points, six rebounds and six assists for Toronto. Leonard, Lowry and Danny Green combined to make 9-of-17 3-pointers for the Raptors, who hit 41 percent of their long-range attempts against the Wizards in the first round of the playoffs.
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (0-1): The Wizards lamented their inability to control the glass in the season-opening loss, as the Heat produced a 55-40 rebounding advantage and grabbed 22 on the offensive end, including one that led to the game-winning basket. "That's really where they killed us," Wall -- who led the way with 26 points and nine assists -- told the media. Beal's 20 points included two 3-pointers for Washington, which ranked second in the Eastern Conference with a 37.5 percent mark behind the arc last season but opened 2018-19 by going 7-for-26.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Wall and Otto Porter Jr. both had three blocked shots against Miami as the Wizards recorded 15 overall.
2. Raptors G Delon Wright (thigh) has missed the first two games.
3. The teams split four matchups in the regular season in 2017-18.