Getty Toronto Raptors G Kyle Lowry and Washington Wizards G John Wall
After a tough opening-night loss to the Miami Heat, the Washington Wizards now look to right the ship at home. Unfortunately, it won’t be an easy task as they host the Toronto Raptors, fresh off a win over the Boston Celtics Friday.
The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on NBA TV (nationally) and NBC Sports Washington (in Wizards markets). If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can watch a live stream of the game (or DVR it) on your computer, phone or streaming device via one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
NBA TV and NBC Sports Washington (local markets) are both included in the main Fubo bundle, which has 85 channels and is tailored towards sports. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of Cloud DVR (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours), as well as a “72-Hour Lookback” feature, which allows you to watch games up to three days after they air even if you forgot to record them.
NBC Sports Washington (local markets) is included in the “Sling Blue” channel packages, while NBA TV is in the “Sports Extra” add-on. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial of both, and you can then watch the game live on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, you can get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage as an additional add-on.
This is only an option for local viewers, as NBC Sports Washington–but not NBA TV–is included in the “Hulu with Live TV” channel bundle. You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, “Hulu with Live TV” comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
Preview
The Wizards may sit at 0-1 on the season, but were without starting center Dwight Howard in the opener, who has a chance to return for this game. During their 113-112 loss to the Heat, John Wall led the way with 26 points and nine assists, while Odd Porter added nine points with 11 rebounds and Bradley Beal chipped in 20 points.
One interesting name to watch for the Wizards off their bench is Jeff Green. It seems the coaches like Green quite a bit, opting to give him 33 minutes in the opener, which was 13 more than former sixth-man Kelly Oubre and fellow offseason addition Austin Rivers.
The biggest news of this game is that the Raptors have chosen to rest Kawhi Leonard after he averaged 36.5 minutes per game in the unbeaten start. Leonard has been a force with his new team, leading the way in points (27.5) and rebounds (11) per game. With Leonard out, it will likely lead to an even larger workload for point guard Kyle Lowry and backup guard Fred VanVleet.
Lowry has gotten off to a solid start in his own right, averaging 21 points and seven assists per game over 35 minutes. The Raptors have used a balanced approach, but one name who’s seen his minutes and production fall by the wayside is center Jonas Valanciunas. The big man has major potential but has averaged just five points and 8.5 rebounds over 17.5 minutes per game.
The Raptors and Wizards split the 2017-18 season series 2-2, with both teams winning one game at home and one on the road. A key matchup should feature Wall against Lowry, as both players have shown the potential to be very solid defenders. If the two are able to hold each other in check, we could see a few surprising names emerge and put together strong performances Saturday.