PREMIUM
Rogers' 10* TOTAL MASSACRE >> Went 5-0 Saturday! 2-0 in NBA Playoffs!
(NBA) Toronto vs. Washington,
Total: 219.00 | -105.00 Over
Result: Win
Total: 219.00 | -105.00 Over
Result: Win
The set-up: The Raptors beat the Wizards in Game 1 by eight points, as the dynamic backcourt duo of DeRozan and Lowry totaled a modest 28 points. PF Ibaka (23 & 12) was the star, while Wight (18) and Miles (12) played big roles off the bench. However, in Game 2's 130-119 win, DeRzoan (team's leading scorer at 23.0 PPG) exploded for 37 points on 14-of-23 shooting.Center Valanciunas accounted for a double-double (19 & 14), while Miles (18) and Wright (11) again played well off the bench. The Wizards fell behind early in Game 1 and were down 44-27 at the end of the first quarter in Game 2. "We need a better start," Washington head coach Scott Brooks told reporters. "All five guys need to lock in defensively. They've gotten free for a lot of jump shots, and give them credit, they made them. ... But we've got to be a little better. We've got to have a better start. It's not the only thing, but we've got to start there and then go from there." The Wizards decided to get physical with the Raptors in Game 3 and it worked, giving Washington a chance to even its best-of-seven first-round series when the teams meet for Game 4 in the nation's capital on Sunday. In a game that featured five technical fouls and plenty of chippy action, the eighth-seeded Wizards routed the top-seeded Raptors 122-103 on Friday to pull within 2-1 in the series.
Toronto: "They came out and punched us," Toronto head coach Dwane Casey - whose team averaged 122 points in two victories at home to start the series - told reporters. "And we allowed them to." The top-seeded Raptors received 23 points from DeMar DeRozan had 23 points and Lowry 19 (plus eight assists) but the team's backcourt duo also combined for eight of Toronto's 18 turnovers. A bigger issue was Toronto's vaunted bench struggled to shoot just 10-for-29 (34.5%) with none of the seven reserves scoring in double figures. That unit is usually led by backup guard Fred VanVleet,but he missed his second game in the series due to a bruised shoulder and is considered day-to-day.
Washington: John Wall and Bradley Beal scored 28 points apiece for Washington, which shot 55.3 percent overall and scored at least 30 points in each of the first three quarters. Beal had averaged 28.8 points in four meetings with the Raptors during the regular season but had produced a total of just 28 through the first two games of the series before breaking out Friday. Wall added 14 assists in the rout and he is averaging 26.7 points, 12.7 assists and 2.7 steals in the series. Center Marcin Gortat had 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting in Game 3, after being held scoreless in 12 minutes of Game 2. Reserve PF Mike Scott is 18-of-24 from the floor in the series (including 6-of-7 from three-point range), while averaging 15.3 PPG (he averaged 8.8 PPG in the regular season).
The pick: The Raptors seemed comfortable playing the role of the "Big Dog" in Games 1 and 2 but that all changed Friday night, as the Wizards dominated Game 3. If that contest was a "must win" for Washington, then so is this one, as a loss means returning to Toronto (where the Raptors are 36-7 SU this season) to face an elimination game. The winner of each of the last two games has scored 130 and 122 points, with the two finals averaging 237.0 PPG. No way this game will be played with that kind of pace. Make the Under a 10* play.
Toronto: "They came out and punched us," Toronto head coach Dwane Casey - whose team averaged 122 points in two victories at home to start the series - told reporters. "And we allowed them to." The top-seeded Raptors received 23 points from DeMar DeRozan had 23 points and Lowry 19 (plus eight assists) but the team's backcourt duo also combined for eight of Toronto's 18 turnovers. A bigger issue was Toronto's vaunted bench struggled to shoot just 10-for-29 (34.5%) with none of the seven reserves scoring in double figures. That unit is usually led by backup guard Fred VanVleet,but he missed his second game in the series due to a bruised shoulder and is considered day-to-day.
Washington: John Wall and Bradley Beal scored 28 points apiece for Washington, which shot 55.3 percent overall and scored at least 30 points in each of the first three quarters. Beal had averaged 28.8 points in four meetings with the Raptors during the regular season but had produced a total of just 28 through the first two games of the series before breaking out Friday. Wall added 14 assists in the rout and he is averaging 26.7 points, 12.7 assists and 2.7 steals in the series. Center Marcin Gortat had 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting in Game 3, after being held scoreless in 12 minutes of Game 2. Reserve PF Mike Scott is 18-of-24 from the floor in the series (including 6-of-7 from three-point range), while averaging 15.3 PPG (he averaged 8.8 PPG in the regular season).
The pick: The Raptors seemed comfortable playing the role of the "Big Dog" in Games 1 and 2 but that all changed Friday night, as the Wizards dominated Game 3. If that contest was a "must win" for Washington, then so is this one, as a loss means returning to Toronto (where the Raptors are 36-7 SU this season) to face an elimination game. The winner of each of the last two games has scored 130 and 122 points, with the two finals averaging 237.0 PPG. No way this game will be played with that kind of pace. Make the Under a 10* play.
