Gameday: Raptors @ Wizards, October 11

Different preseason game, same foe.

After the Toronto Raptors’ 125-98 dispatching of the Washington Wizards five days ago at the Bell Centre in Montreal, the pair will tip off yet again, just this time down in DC.

There have been some changes since the previous contest, with the main being the face of the franchise, Scottie Barnes is in, and Mississauga, Ont. native RJ Barrett is out.

The 23-year-old Barnes rejoined the team a day before the Oct. 6 matchup from a personal matter, but it was deemed too soon to bring the former all-star back. Instead, the West Palm Beach, Fla. native returns to the lineup tonight in Washington.

Barrett, however, has been not only ruled out of this game but for the remainder of the preseason due to a shoulder injury. The Raptors are calling the injury a “strained right AC joint,” which happens to be the same injury first-round pick Ja’Kobe Walter is dealing with. You may remember in Montreal when Barrett took a hard hit from former Raptors Jonas Valanciunas causing him to leave the game and not return.

He was in a groove before exiting, too, collecting 17 points, a pair of rebounds and assists while knocking down a triplet or triples.

Another player in his bag was Jamal Shead. Raptors Republic’s Esfandiar Baraheni broke his first preseason game down in a video, while RR’s Louis Zatzman dug into the new gritty of his game in an excellent piece.

Gradey Dick, who is vying for a starter spot, was impactful as well. The second-year sharpshooter buried 10 points while collecting five assists, four rebounds, and a steal. That fifth starter spot is seemingly up for grabs around Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes, and Jakob Poeltl, though Dick should be among the favourites to snag it.

For Washington, they will be hoping for a better result at home than the one they got in La Belle province. One guy who stood was second-overall pick Alex Sarr.

The 19-year-old’s size and shooting ability proved troublesome for Toronto as he went 3-of-four from downtown, as a part of his 15 points, four assists, and three rebound game.

Former fifth overall pick by the Raptors in 2011, Valanciunas, was relatively ineffective in the previous game. The 32-year-old only registered three points and six rebounds across 16 minutes of action.

Former Raptors Kira Lewis Jr. (2023-2024) and Justin Champagnie (2021-2023) are also featured on this Wizards squad. Champagnie only registered a turnover in eight minutes last week, while Lewis did not play.

24th overall pick in Canadian/Swiss wing Kyshawn George is another player to keep an eye on for this Washington team. He was solid in the last contest, putting up eight points, three rebounds, and two steals.

Game Info

Tip-Off: 7:00 p.m. ET

Television: TSN 4

Radio: Sportsnet 590 The Fan

Starting Lineups (Projected)

Washington Wizards

PG: Jordan Poole

SG: Bilal Coulibaly

SF: Kyle Kuzma

PF: Alexandre Sarr

C: Jonas Valanciunas

Toronto Raptors

PG: Davion Mitchell

SG: Gradey Dick

SF: Scottie Barnes

PF: Jonathan Mogbo

C: Jakob Poeltl

Injury Report (Not official)

Wizards

Saddiq Bey (Knee) – Out

Malcolm Brogdon (Thumb) – Out

Raptors

Immanuel Quickley (Thumb) – Out

RJ Barrett (Shoulder) – Out

Ja’Kobe Walter (Shoulder) – Out

Bruce Brown Jr. (Knee) – Out

The remainder of Toronto’s preseason schedule is here.

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