Wizards look to capitalize on second straight against the Raptors

After looking great in their Thursday night matchup against the Toronto Raptors, it’s time for the Washington Wizards to turn around and face them again. This time with a full game of separation in the standings on the line.

The previous matchup saw a strong Wizards outing tie them with the Raptors for the nine seed and gain the tiebreaker in the season series. This time around, since they are already tied, it will be for full possession of the better spot in the standings.

This is essentially a guarantee that the effort and intensity levels will be at their highest in this game as both teams are looking to make the postseason and will need any advantage available to make their dreams a reality.

Looking back at the last matchup, the Washington Wizards had a few things go very well.

Despite the fact that the Raptors shot the ball incredibly well, the Wizards managed to fight back and stay ahead for a majority of the contest. Largely due to the stellar play of Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis.

Kuzma dropped 30 points on solid efficiency and Porzingis had a 25-point performance as well. While it may not be realistic to expect Kuzma and the supporting cast to play at the level they did on Thursday, we can expect Bradley Beal to bounce back and the Raptors to cool off from beyond the arc.

This game is far from unwinnable, and the Wizards need to recognize that this is a huge game for them if they want to secure a spot in the playoffs. The six seed is within reach for this team, they need to play like they have the last three games and go on a run to secure it.

If the Washington Wizards are able to pull off a second straight win against the Raptors, it will only bring them one step closer to their goal of making the playoffs.