Washington Wizards: 5 keys to series vs. Raptors

The Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors face off in the first round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2015. Here are five keys to the series.

The last time these two teams met in the NBA Playoffs, the Washington Wizards swept the Toronto Raptors, 4-0. That series began with the Raptors owning home-court advantage, eerily similar to this year’s upcoming matchup.

The Wizards enter the postseason in an odd position. After beginning the month of March sitting fourth in the East, they tumbled all the way to the eighth spot. They finished the regular season losing five of their last six contests.

Point guard John Wall missed a significant number of games this season nursing a knee injury but it seemed the team figured it out in the month of February. Washington went 8-4 without Wall in February. Things changed in the final 20 games, though, as Washington finished with a 7-13 record.

The Washington Wizards split the regular season series with Toronto, 2-2. If there was ever a team to pull off the 1-8 upset, it’s the Wizards. They’re a team very familiar with the Raptors’ duo of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. Lowry and DeRozan are different players now, but so are Bradley Beal and John Wall.

It should be an exciting first round matchup if all things go accordingly. Here are five keys for the Washington Wizards in their series against Toronto.