Toronto Raptor’s Kyle Lowry and backcourt mate, DeMar DeRozan celebrate Lowry’s basket against the Los Angeles Clippers.Tom Szczerbowski
The Toronto Raptors' game Wednesday night is their last before taking more than a week off for the NBA all-star break. That final prebreak contest just happens to be against the foe charging hard on Toronto's heels in the Eastern Conference standings.
The 35-17 Raptors host the 33-20 Washington Wizards, a battle of second– and third-place teams in the East. While the Raptors won't go so far as to call the Wizards a rival, they admit the teams currently mirror one another in many ways.
The matchup showcases the two starting guards for the East in Sunday's all-star game. Toronto's Kyle Lowry will line up with Washington's John Wall at Madison Square Garden on Sunday – Lowry a first-timer, Wall making his second appearance but his first as a starter. Many eyes will be on the exciting young stars.
Similarities don't end there. On their respective teams, Wall and Lowry are part of potent backcourt duos, though Wall will be without Bradley Beal in Toronto on Wednesday – the shooting guard is expected to miss his third game with a toe injury. That's a costly absence since Beal was averaging 15 points and 3.8 rebounds a night. Lowry's backcourt mate, DeMar DeRozan, is hitting his stride after returning last month from a lengthy layoff due to a groin injury.
"It's a team that is very up-and-coming, just like us," Lowry said of the Wizards. "Wall and Beal are really good, both young and talented – they're right up there in ranking. One is an All-Star starter, and the other I believe will be a future all-star."
Toronto has defeated Washington twice this season. When they last met on Jan. 31, the Wizards were in the midst of a five-game losing streak, and the Raptors edged them in overtime despite squandering a large second-half lead. Wall got loose for 28 points that night, and Beal for 26. This time, the Wizards are coming off two dominant wins in recent days – albeit against the overmatched Brooklyn Nets and Orlando Magic.
The Wizards have turned things around recently with a familiar strategy: Smother opponents with defence until the offence begins to follow.
That's not far off the mantra Toronto is chanting as well. The Raptors are working to regain the defensive identity that took them to the playoffs last season. They fell short in some games over the past month, losing winnable games to the Nets and Milwaukee Bucks before righting the ship with two victories over the weekend versus the Los Angeles Clippers and reigning NBA champion San Antonio Spurs (whom they held to 33-per-cent shooting).
It isn't just coincidence that the Raptors had James Johnson back in those last two contests, making his return after a hamstring injury. The physical forward has scored 36 points in 39 minutes in the two wins, but he has earned his time with tough defensive play. He was added to the starting lineup on Sunday – the starting unit has been fluid in recent games.
Washington made it to the second round of the playoffs last season, while Toronto was knocked out in the first. Raptors coach Dwane Casey, who has often preached the importance of playing a style that wins in the playoffs, sees how Washington is built for the postseason, fortified by a familiar foe – the sharp-shooting veteran of clutch moments, Paul Pierce. So the coach knows Toronto can't expect to coast into the all-star break with a breezy win Wednesday.
"We understand how Washington is going to come in here to try to take our heads off – with the same attitude as Brooklyn and … Milwaukee had after we beat them," said Casey. "They have a well-rounded team that is made for the playoffs, and made for winning right now, so we've got to be ready to play one of our better games of the year."
Rachel Brady