The Toronto Raptors are 2-0 after handling the Washington Wizards 112-102 on Friday night inside Capital One Arena, but this one came with more resistance than their season-opening win over the Chicago Bulls.
Toronto jumped on Washington early and never really let go. The Wizards managed only four made shots in the first quarter, while the Raptors got their offense rolling enough to build a double-digit cushion before the second quarter even started. That opening burst put Washington in a hole and set the tone for the rest of the night.
The Wizards made a few pushes, but Toronto kept finding a way to stay in control. The final margin reflected a game the Raptors largely owned, even if it wasn’t as smooth as their first outing of the season.
Scottie Barnes again did a little bit of everything for Toronto, finishing as the team’s leader in scoring and rebounds. He also had eight turnovers, which was the one rough edge on an otherwise productive night. With the ball in his hands so often, Barnes carries the burden of protecting possession, and that part of his game will need to tighten up if Toronto wants to keep things cleaner going forward.
There was also a familiar issue hanging over the Raptors’ offense: the long ball. Toronto shot just 7 of 34 from 3-point range, a number that could become a real problem against better teams. It didn’t sink them here, but the margin for error gets a lot smaller when the shots aren’t falling from deep.
The Raptors will look to keep their perfect start alive on Sunday at 7 pm ET when they visit the 2-0 Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center in Minneapolis. The game will air on NBA TV and stream on NBA League Pass.
In Other News...
Allen Graves Had A Very Toronto Moment Before His NBA Debut
Allen Graves first night in the NBA came with all the Toronto trimmings. In his debut against the Chicago Bulls on Oct. 21, the Raptors rookie chipped in five points, five rebounds and three blocks in 19 minutes, but what stood out just as much was the setting around him. Graves called the experience of playing in front of a sold-out crowd and hearing the national anthem a significant moment, the kind of arrival that makes a debut feel bigger than a box score.
And for a player taking his first professional steps, Toronto supplied a scene he wont forget soon. Drake was courtside, adding another unmistakably local layer to the night, and Graves said he felt the support of family and friends after the game. For a rookie trying to settle into the league, it was a reminder that his first NBA memory in this city came with plenty of noise, attention and the sort of atmosphere that makes Toronto feel different from anywhere else. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Face An Early Road Test Their Defense Can't Fake
The Raptors are about to get their first road test of the season in Washington, and it arrives with a chance to find out a lot about how real their early defensive promise is. The Wizards have reshaped their roster with the kind of veteran help that can steady a young group, bringing in Anthony Davis and Trae Young to support their younger players, which makes this more than a simple early-season stop. Torontos defense has looked sharp enough to invite optimism, but road games tend to expose whether that edge travels or gets softened by unfamiliar surroundings.
Washington will also be short-handed, with AJ ruled out, which removes another layer from a matchup already built around questions about depth and consistency. For Toronto, the interest is less about the prediction and more about how the team handles a setting where effort and discipline matter just as much as talent. If the Raptors can carry their defensive identity into this one, it would say something meaningful about where this group stands before the schedule gets any less forgiving. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Draft Miss Just Raised A Bigger Question For Toronto
Torontos 2023 lottery swing on Gradey Dick was always going to be judged by more than just what happened on draft night. The appeal was obvious at the time: a polished shooter coming out of college, the kind of skill set that can look like a clean fit for almost any roster. But once that shooting proved harder to carry over to the NBA, and Dick was eventually moved to the LA Clippers, it left the Raptors with a familiar front-office question to wrestle with about how much weight to put on one elite trait.
Allen Graves has added another layer to that discussion ahead of the 2026 draft. He is viewed as a more versatile prospect, which makes him look like the sort of player Toronto may value more highly now than it did when it bet on shooting first. For a team still sorting out how to build its next core, the real issue is not just whether Graves can help, but whether the Raptors have already learned enough from the Dick pick to change how they evaluate the next one. [Read more 🡒]