Toronto’s opening win was overwhelming, but Washington offers a different kind of test. The Raptors turned Chicago’s mistakes into easy scoring in a 135-92 rout; the Wizards counter with Anthony Davis and Trae Young, who powered their own season-opening victory. With Toronto a 7.5-point favorite Friday, the central question is whether its defensive pressure can create another meaningful advantage against Washington’s new partnership.
Toronto’s biggest advantage starts with possessions
The Raptors didn’t need a great shooting night from Kawhi Leonard to take apart Chicago. Leonard, Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley scored 23 points each, while RJ Barrett added 20. More importantly, Toronto scored 35 points off 27 Bulls turnovers. Leonard contributed four of the Raptors’ 15 steals despite shooting 5-for-17.
That’s a compelling starting point for this matchup, though Chicago’s mistake count is a demanding standard to repeat. Our turnover projections put Washington at about 15 and Toronto at about 12. The expected gap is useful for the Raptors, but it points toward a more modest advantage in protecting possessions than their opener delivered.
Our grades also separate these teams more clearly on defense than on offense: Toronto earns a B defensively to Washington’s D-, while both offenses receive a B-. That gives the Raptors a supported route to separation without assuming they’ll simply reproduce Wednesday’s scoring outburst.
Davis and Young give Washington a credible response
Washington beat Milwaukee 128-116 on Wednesday behind Davis’ 34 points and 12 rebounds. Young added 20 points and 13 assists, and the Wizards shot 63% after halftime. Washington trailed well into the second half before taking control, so its win showed more resilience than early dominance.
Young’s playmaking and Davis’ production give Washington a concrete answer to Toronto’s defensive edge. Keeping the ball and getting productive possessions from that pair would make it harder for the Raptors to build the kind of cushion they enjoyed against Chicago. Washington will again be without AJ Dybantsa: he’s out against Toronto with an ankle injury.
The spread therefore asks more of Toronto than another win. Its defensive advantage needs to translate into sustained separation against a team whose two leading performers have already shown they can carry substantial scoring and creation duties together.
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What matters around the 236.5 total
The scoring case starts with Washington’s vulnerable defensive grade and two teams coming off big offensive nights. The Wizards allowed 116 points even in victory, and their strong second-half shooting showed how much their attack can contribute to a high-scoring game.
But the opening scores deserve a closer look before using them to judge DraftKings’ 236.5 total. Toronto benefited from an unusually large turnover haul, while Washington’s 63% second-half shooting supplied a major lift. Chicago also shot just 4-for-36 from three against Toronto, so the Raptors’ 92 points allowed came with an extreme opponent shooting night as well as all those takeaways.
Toronto’s stronger defensive evaluation is the main counterweight to Washington’s scoring potential. If the Raptors make the Wizards work for shots without generating another flood of points off turnovers themselves, the scoring pattern could look quite different from either opener. Washington’s ability to protect the ball matters in both directions: fewer giveaways would preserve chances for Davis and Young while limiting the easy offense Toronto enjoyed against Chicago.
Toronto has the clearer defensive foundation, but our turnover projections suggest a smaller advantage than the opener’s rout might imply. Davis and Young give Washington a credible way to keep the game competitive if they can turn possessions into productive offense. For the spread and the total alike, the key distinction is whether Toronto’s pressure creates easy points again or Washington makes the Raptors earn their separation in a more settled game.
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