Raptors vs. Wizards prediction and odds for Thursday, March 2

Jan 21, 2022; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet (23) dribbles as Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) defends during the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

It seemed like the Toronto Raptors were going to have a fire sale at the trade deadline, but that never came. Instead they added Jakob Poeltl and are 3-1 out of the all-star break. Most recently they took down the Bulls, 104-98 in Toronto on Tuesday.

They’re up to 31-32 which is good for ninth in the Eastern Conference. They’re just two games ahead of the Washington Wizards who are 29-32, in 10th and they also got a win on Tuesday.

Here are the odds for the Raptors and the Wizards in DC.

Raptors vs. Wizards odds, spread and total

Toronto Raptors @ Washington Wizards | Current Best Odds

Mar. 02, 6:00 PM

TOR

31-32, 31-31-1 ATS

WAS

29-32, 29-31-1 ATS

Raptors vs. Wizards prediction and pick

For the season, the Raptors are 14th in offensive rating, 113.9 and 15th in defensive rating, 113.4. They are just one game under .500 right now, so they’re about the most average team you could possibly find. They’ve had Poeltl for six starts now, and he had his memorable 30 point game in a win over Orlando just before the break, but he’s mostly been able to stabilize the defense for Toronto by giving them a true center. Their defensive rating has gone to 110.6.

Poeltl is averaging 14.1 points with Toronto, 8.9 rebounds and 2.0 blocks. As a team, their defensive rebounding rate has gone up two percent with a real center in place. Their roster is starting to make more sense now and they are actualizing all of their length on the wing.

The issue is the offensive end where their rating has dropped and they’ve begun to play much more low-scoring games. The under has hit in four of their last five games, and that’ll be my play for this one in Washington. The Wizards will struggle to score against all the defensive wings Toronto boasts.

Josh Yourish

BetSided

Under 223