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The Wizards dropped their Summer League opener, 72-59, to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas.

While it was an ugly game, one in which the Wizards committed 25 turnovers, shot 30% from the field and went 5/30 from 3-point range, it wasn't a total lost cause for Washington.

Both Troy Brown Jr. (13p-4r) and Devin Robinson (14p-5r) showed some flashes of what they can bring to this Wizards team.

Brown had a great sequence in the third quarter, where he skied for a rebound, finished at the rim, and then one minute later had a steal and tough finish at the basket for two more of his 13 points.

If there was an unofficial 'eye test', he looked to pass it in his first ever game as a pro.  He moved well with and without the ball, showed off his court vision and as Summer League head coach Ryan Richman said afterwards, "he made his teammates better."

He did commit five turnovers and told the media afterwards that he may have sped up too much for his own good during a few of them.  It still was a solid showing for his debut with the Wiz.

Robinson also showed aggressiveness on the offensive end and led the team in scoring with 14 points.  He didn't shoot the ball well, but was able to finish around the rim with some strong takes and shot nine free-throws from all of the contact he created in the paint.

Aaron Harrison was the only other Wizard who tallied double figures as he finished with 12 points.

Ante Zizic (16 pts), Cedi Osman (15 pts) and first round pick Collin Sexton (15 pts) led the Cavs in scoring.

The Wizards will practice on Saturday and then play again on Sunday afternoon against the Spurs. (3:30pm ET)

wizards-drop-summer-league-opener-to-cavs

Wizards drop Summer League opener to Cavs

Washington, D.C.  – Wizards forward Otto Porter Jr. underwent a successful left lower leg fasciotomy for compartment syndrome earlier today.

The procedure was required after clinical examination confirmed the diagnosis of compartment syndrome (a critical increase in pressure resulting from an injury) and was necessary to prevent permanent damage to the muscles in the leg.  It was performed by Wizards Director of Medical Services and Orthopedist Dr. Wiemi Douoguih at MedStar Health at Lafyatte Centre.

otto-porter-jr-injury-update

Otto Porter Jr. Injury Update

The Wizards season is on the line with Game 6 tonight in D.C.

Capital One Arena | 7:00 p.m. | NBCSW/ESPNN/NBATV | 1500 AM

Wizards (2-3): G - Wall, G - Beal, F - Oubre Jr., F - Morris, C - Gortat 

Raptors (3-2): G - Lowry, G – DeRozan, F - Anunoby, F - Ibaka, C - Valanciunas

Raptors: Fred VanVleet (Shoulder - Questionable)

The Wizards return home for Game 6 trailing 3-2 in the series and will look to avoid having their season end on their home floor.  The home team has won every game in this series, which was the same script as the previous playoff series Washington played in last year against Boston.  They were trailing the Celtics 3-2 and forced a Game 7 with one of the more dramatic shots in team history when John Wall drilled a game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds of Game 6.  While the drama of that one would be hard to match in this Game 6, the Wizards would happily take the same result to give themselves a chance to steal a Game 7 on the road on Sunday.

When trailing 3-2 in a series, the Wizards are 6-6 all time in Game 6's played at home and they are 3-11 in any series when they trail 3-2.   In both 2014 and in 2015, John Wall and Bradley Beal's first two playoff appearances, the Wizards lost in Game 6 at home to see their season end.

The Raptors are 1-4 all time when playing a Game 6 on the road with a chance to close out a series.  One of the knocks on this Raps team over the past few years has been their inability to win a big road game, but they'll try and prove the doubters wrong and do just that tonight.

At Thursday's media availability, Wizards head coach Scott Brooks said that Otto Porter Jr. was banged up and dealing with a leg injury.  It was then learned later in the afternoon on Friday that Porter will miss Game 6 and the rest of the series and be out indefinitely.

Porter was questionable for Game 1 of this series with a leg issue, but has yet to miss a game in the postseason.  He hasn't scored more than 12 points in any of the previous five games and has averaged just eight shots per game, a number the team would like to increase as the series moves ahead.   The most likely candidate to take his place in the starting lineup is Kelly Oubre Jr., who started the last game of the season when Porter was out with a leg injury.

The Raptors' Fred VanVleet will once again be questionable for Friday's Game 6, although he has been making progress and returned to practice with the team.  He's still day-to-day, but it seems as if a return is imminent and an update will probably be given either at Toronto's morning shootaround or during pregame media availability.    With VanVleet out, Delon Wright has stepped up and played a big role for the Raps' second unit.  He scored in double figures in all three of Toronto's home games, but averaged just 6.5 points in the two road games.

Home court has played a major role in this series, with both teams yet to lose a game played at home.  The Wizards have now won eight straight home playoff games, as they went 6-0 at home last postseason and are now 2-0 in this year's playoffs.  Over that same stretch, the Wizards are just 1-9 when playing on the road, a pretty drastic contrast.  Earlier this week, Raptors head coach Dwane Casey commented how 'rabid' the fans were in Game 4 in D.C. and how big of an impact they played in helping the Wizards mount a comeback.  While the Wiz will hope to avoid needing another comeback to win this one, they'll certainly take another hostile environment to try and help them force a Game 7 on Sunday in Toronto.

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Season on the line with Game 6 on Friday

The series shifts back to Toronto for a crucial Game 5 tonight at the ACC.

Air Canada Centre | 7:00 p.m. | NBCSW/NBATV | 1500 AM

Wizards (2-2): G - Wall, G - Beal, F - Porter Jr., F - Morris, C - Gortat 

Raptors (2-2): G - Lowry, G – DeRozan, F - Anunoby, F - Ibaka, C - Valanciunas

Both teams have now held serve in the series and they have turned this into a best-of-three to determine a winner.  After the Raps protected home court in the first two games of the series, the Wizards answered by doing the same in Game 3 and Game 4, evening the series at 2-2.

The pressure now shifts back to the Raps as they return home to Toronto, a place in which they went 34-7 during the regular season, which was the best home record in the NBA.  They earned the number one seed in the conference to host games like this in their building and they'll have to take advantage of it, because if they don't they'll have to play an elimination game on Friday in Washington.

The Wizards have had opportunities to win road games over these last two postseasons, but they have struggled to do so and are now 1-8 on the road in the playoffs over the last two years.  In contrast, they have won eight straight home playoff games, a streak they'll look to continue on Friday when they host Game 6 at Capital One Arena.  But no matter what happens on Friday, they'll need to figure out a way to win a road game in this series, and that will likely come down to the play of their stars, John Wall and Bradley Beal.

Wall has been tremendous throughout the series and Beal really picked up his game in D.C., where he averaged 29.5 points over the two wins after being held to just nine points in Game 2 in Toronto.  Beal went 9/16 from 3-point range and went 10/19 from the floor in both Game 3 and Game 4.  The Wizards will need Beal to be an elite scorer again in this one tonight to have a real shot at a road win.  They'll also need Wall to continue to play at the level he's shown over these last couple of games, where he's looked like the best player on the floor.  Wall is first in the NBA in points created this postseason and became just the third player in NBA history to score over 100 points and dish out over 50 assists in the first four games of a playoff series (Magic Johnson, Johnny Moore).

While the first quarters have been an issue for Washington in the series, they have dominated the third quarters, winning the last two by 11 points each.  It was critical in Game 4 as they trailed by 11 going into the half, but then exploded for 40 points in the third quarter to tie the score at 80.  They have a +6.2 margin in the third quarters this series and the 32.5 points they have averaged per third quarter are the most of any quarter against Toronto.  A key to the Raps' Game 1 win was Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan's spark provided early in that third quarter, after the Wizards had a halftime lead, and the third quarter could once again be a big key tonight.

The Raptors have relied on their second unit all season long, but when it comes to the postseason, history has shown that teams get better bench production when they are at home.  It has proven true again in this series as the Raps bench played a big role in their home wins in Game 1 and Game 2, but tampered off in Game 3 and Game 4 on the road.  One of their biggest bench scorers, C.J. Miles, made four 3-pointers in both home games, going 8/15 in those two games, but then went just 1/8 in the two road games from distance and was held to just two points in Sunday's Game 4.  Delon Wright, who has played heavy minutes with Fred VanVleet out, scored in double figures in both home games, but averaged just 6.5 points in the two road games.  The good news for Toronto is that they are now back at home and should once again see production from guys like Miles, Wright, Pascal Siakam, and Jakob Poeltl.  They also could get VanVleet back for Game 5 as he returned to practice on Tuesday and will be questionable for tonight's contest.  If the Wizards can find a way to keep the Raps' second unit in check, it could certainly be the difference between a road win and a road loss.

Game 6 will take place on Friday night in Washington.

crucial-game-5-tonight-in-toronto

Crucial Game 5 tonight in Toronto

The Wizards look to carry momentum from Friday night and even the series at two games apiece with Game 4 on Sunday night in the District.

Capital One Arena | 6:00 p.m. | NBCSW/TNT | 1500 AM

Wizards (1-2): G - Wall, G - Beal, F - Porter Jr., F - Morris, C - Gortat 

Raptors (2-1): G - Lowry, G – DeRozan, F - Anunoby, F - Ibaka, C - Valanciunas

Momentum can change quickly in a playoff series and with Friday's win over Toronto, suddenly the Wizards find themselves right back in the series.  They still trail 2-1 and have work to do, but if they get a similar effort from their All-Star backcourt, they will be tough to beat at home.

John Wall and Bradley Beal each scored 28 points to lead Washington to a 122-103 win in Game 3, their first win of the series.  Wall had been good in Toronto, but Beal was struggling, especially in Game 2 where he was held to just nine points on 3/11 shooting.  He exploded in the first half of Game 3 for 21 points on 8/11 shooting and 4/5 from 3-point range.  He looked more like the All-Star shooting guard he's shown to be all season with this one and the Wizards will look for more of that as they try and even things up Sunday night.

Despite Toronto once again getting out to an early first quarter lead, the Wizards were able to quickly respond, closing the first on a 12-2 run.  They then scored 39 points in the second quarter to build up an eight point lead at the half, before outscoring Toronto by 11 in the third quarter to put the game out of reach.

After he was forced into the lineup earlier than expected because of foul trouble in Game 2, Ty Lawson took on a more conventional role in Game 3, playing 16 minutes as a reserve guard.  He didn't put up the big numbers again like in Game 2, but he certainly wowed the crowd with his quickness and was able to run the offense with the second unit.  He's played both the point guard role and off the ball as the off guard when he's been on the court with Wall, two spots he's looked comfortable playing through these last two games.  Lawson was just added to the Wizards roster for the postseason and Friday night's Game 3 was his home debut with the team, but he's looked to fit in just fine and could be a key piece as this series moves on.

Friday night's Game 3 featured a few pushing and shoving instances that resulted in technical fouls on both teams.  Those kind of extra curriculars are not uncommon for a playoff series and can sometimes intensify as a series moves on.   As long as it's not costing the teams any kind of game misconducts or suspensions, those kind of events can often light a fire, which may have helped the Wizards get going in Game 3.  We'll have to keep an eye on any kind of fireworks that take place in Sunday's Game 4 and see how it impacts the game.

Game 5 will take place on Wednesday night in Toronto.

wizards-look-to-even-series-with-game-4-in-d-c

Wizards look to even series with Game 4 in D.C.

The Wizards try and even the series at 1-1 before heading back to D.C.

Air Canada Centre | 7:00 p.m. | NBCSW+/NBATV | 1500 AM

Wizards (0-1): G - Wall, G - Beal, F - Porter Jr., F - Morris, C - Gortat 

Raptors (1-0): G - Lowry, G – DeRozan, F - Anunoby, F - Ibaka, C - Valanciunas

After falling 114-106 in Game 1 on Saturday, the Wizards will look to even up the series at a game apiece when they take on the Raptors in tonight's Game 2.

Saturday's win was the first time in Raptors franchise history they won a Game 1 in the first round of the playoffs.

The Raps got off to a quick start and jumped on Washington early, but the Wiz would fight back and took a four point lead into the half.  The third quarter saw great back-and-forth action, which carried into the fourth quarter, when the Wiz took a 91-88 lead on a Keef Morris layup with 10 minutes left.  But, the Raptors would close the game on 26-15 run and made the big plays in crunch time to capture the first game of the series.

Morris scored a playoff career-high 22 points to go along with his 11 boards and six assists.  John Wall led the team with 23 points and 15 assists, but was just 3/13 inside the paint and missed some layups he normally finishes late in the game.  Serge Ibaka led Toronto with 23 points in 8/11 shooting.

One of the biggest differences in Game 1 was the shooting from the perimeter, as the Raps doubled the Wizards with a franchise playoff best 16 made 3-pointers on 30 attempts.  Seven different Raptors made at least one 3-pointer, led by reserve guard C.J. Miles who made four.  The Wizards defended some of the 3's and those they will live with, but they gave the Raps a few too many open looks and it hurt them.  It wasn't just Miles off the bench either, as their other reserve guard Delon Wright also made three triples to help their bench score 42 points compared to the Wizards' 21.  The only Wizards' reserve to reach double figures was Mike Scott, who finished with 14.

Trailing by four at the half, one of the key runs in Saturday's Game 1 was the first six minutes of the third quarter, when the Raps' All-Star backcourt of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan scored or assisted on every bucket of the Raps' 15-6 run to open the second half.  It was a key stretch of the game and one where the two of them put the team on their back and gave them a needed boost after an underwhelming first half.  The Wizards' All-Star backcourt may need to carry this team to give them a needed road win tonight as many times teams rely on their stars on the road, while at home the can count on contributions from some more of the role players.  Wall and Beal weren't bad in Game 1, but they can both play at a higher level and the Wiz may need that in order to split this series.

Game 3 will take place on Friday night in D.C. (8:00 P.M.)

wizards-look-for-split-in-toronto

Wizards look for split in Toronto

The playoffs get underway tonight as the Wizards and Raptors square off in Game 1 from Toronto.

Air Canada Centre | 5:30 p.m. | NBCSW/ESPN | 1500 AM

Wizards (0-0): G - Wall, G - Beal, F - Porter Jr., F - Morris, C - Gortat 

Raptors (0-0): G - Lowry, G – DeRozan, F - Anunoby, F - Ibaka, C - Valanciunas

Wizards: Otto Porter Jr. (Calf - Questionable), Mike Scott (Concussion - Questionable)

The 82-game regular season can be a grind, but now that both teams have made it through, the real fun begins with the second season known as the NBA playoffs.

This will be the fourth postseason in the last five years for the Wizards and the fourth postseason run for the core of John Wall, Bradley Beal, Otto Porter Jr. and Marcin Gortat.  This core has never lost a first round series and they have gone 12-3 in first round games, winning two of the three series opening on the road.  In 2014 and 2015, they won both Game 1 and Game 2 on the road, beating Chicago and Toronto in five games and four games respectively.

While the Wizards were a great road playoff team in 2014 and 2015, they went 1-5 on the road in the playoffs last year, while going 6-0 at home.

The Wizards and Raptors split the season series 2-2 this year, with each team winning once at home and once on the road.  Wall didn't play in any of the four games, which will make tonight the first time the Raptors will see him this season.

The Wiz will be looking to become just the sixth number eight seed in NBA history to upset a number one seed, with the most recent occurrence coming in 2012 when the Sixers knocked off the Bulls in six games.

Otto Porter Jr. left Tuesday's game against Boston with a calf injury and then he was held out of Wednesday's game in Orlando.  Head coach Scott Brooks said he went through parts of practice on Friday, but he has been listed as questionable for tonight's Game 1.

Mike Scott took an elbow to the face in Wednesday's game in Orlando and he was placed in the NBA's concussion protocol.  Brooks said he was feeling much better on Friday, but was still going through the steps to be cleared for tonight's game.  He has also been listed as questionable and an update on both Porter and Scott should be given about 90 minutes prior to tonight's game.

If Porter was not able to play, Kelly Oubre Jr. would likely start in his place.  If Scott could not play, Keef Morris may log extra minutes and Jason Smith may see more action stepping in at the four spot.

The Raptors won a franchise-best 59 games this season and won 34 home games, which tied Houston for the best home record in the NBA this year.  This will be the first time the  Raptors enter a postseason as the top seed and will be the third straight year the team has won at least 50 games in a season.

While Toronto has had much regular season success over the last few years, they have had their woes in the postseason, especially in Game 1's, as they are just 1-12 all-time in Game 1 and have never won Game 1 of the opening round of the playoffs.

Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan were once again All-Stars this season and will be the top two options the Raps turn to in this series, especially late in games.  DeRozan is Toronto's all-time playoff leader in points and Lowry just set the franchise's single-season record for 3-pointers with 238 this season.

While Lowry and DeRozan will get the most attention, Toronto's bench finished the year fourth in scoring and first since January 1st. Their reserve guards can really score, with C.J. Miles, Fred VanVleet and Delon Wright all capable of scoring in double figures when they enter the game.

Toronto attempted the 3rd most 3-pointers in the league this year, averaging just under 33 per game and just under 40% of their shots were from beyond the arc.  This was a big increase from the 24 attempts they averaged last season and is one of the big reasons many think this Toronto team can be more of a factor in this year's postseason.

Game 2 will take place on Tuesday night in Toronto (7:00 P.M.)

game-1-tonight-in-toronto

Game 1 tonight in Toronto

Game 1 | Sat, April 14 | Washington at Toronto | 5:30 PM | NBCSW/ESPN

Game 2 | Tues, April 17 | Washington at Toronto | 7:00 PM | NBCSW/NBATV

Game 3 | Fri, April 20 | Toronto at Washington | 8:00 PM | NBCSW/ESPN 2

Game 4 | Sun, April 22 | Toronto at Washington | 6:00 PM | NBCSW/TNT

Game 5* | Wed, April 25 | Washington at Toronto | TBD | NBCSW/TBD

Game 6* | Fri, April 27 | Toronto at Washington | TBD | NBCSW/TBD

Game 7* | Sun, April 29 | Washington at Toronto | TBD | TBD

If you're a hoops fan, this is the best time of year.  The playoffs have arrived and there are some very intriguing first round matchups across the league, including this one between the eighth-seeded Washington Wizards and the top-seeded Toronto Raptors.  Two teams that last met in the postseason three years ago, when the Wizards entered that series as the underdog and went on to sweep the Raptors in four games.  The Raps will be an even bigger favorite this time around, after they just won 59 games and captured the number one seed in the East, but the Wizards enter with thoughts of another upset.

Both teams enter this series with an All-Star backcourt and they will be the best four players on the floor.  While a lot will be made about the x-factors in the series, it may very well come down to which star backcourt outplays the other.

This will be the fourth playoff trip for John Wall and Bradley Beal and the duo has never lost in the first round of the postseason.  They have twice won a first round series starting on the road and they are 12-3 all-time in first round matchups.  While they have never lost in the first round, they have yet to reach the Conference Finals, something that was a goal heading into this season.

This will be the fifth postseason trip for Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, a group that was bounced in the first round in 2014 and 2015, but did reach the Conference Finals in 2016 before being eliminated by the Cavs in the second round last year.  They have had their struggles shooting the ball in the postseason, as they have combined to shoot just under 40 percent from the field and under 30 percent from 3-point range over the last four postseasons.  But, they have developed into one of the best backcourts in the league and are now established veterans hoping to lead their team to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.

Wall didn't play in any of the four games against the Raptors during the regular season, but the Wizards still went 2-2 without their All-Star point guard.  Wall missed most of the second half of the season after going through a knee procedure at the end of January.  He did return to play four games during the final few weeks of the season and the Wiz will need him to be healthy and at his best to win the series.

At the beginning of the year, the Wizards had hopes of once again being a top four seed and were considered to be one of the better teams in the conference.  After an underwhelming season in which they had to play about half of it without their All-Star point guard, they find themselves as the eight seed.  But, they do have a healthy Wall again and they certainly have shown the ability to play like one of the league's best with him in the lineup.

The Raptors have been a great regular season team for the last few years, but they have taken it to a new level this year, nearly winning 60 games and earning the top seed in the East.   However, their playoff woes from the previous few years will still hang over their heads until they prove that they can win and play at a high level when the games count the most.  This will be a big postseason for them in what has been considered a wide open Eastern Conference.

With what happened the last time these two teams played and because the Raps have gone 0-10 in Game 1's in the first round, there will be added pressure on Toronto to take care of business in the first game of this series.

When the Wizards entered the 2015 playoffs, they were coming off a 17-24 second half of the season, which included separate losing streaks of six, five, and four games.  They had gotten off to a 22-8 start that year, but then were wildly inconsistent throughout the second half of season and finished the year at 46-36.

The Raptors had also struggled down the stretch, going 12-17 in their last 29 games, but finished the year at 49-33 to give them the four seed in the East.  They had home court in the series and were picked by most of the experts to advance in the postseason.

But, the Wizards had other ideas.   The Wiz went into Toronto and took both Game 1 and Game 2 at the ACC, first winning a low-scoring game in overtime and then exploding for 117 points in their Game 2 win.  They then returned home to D.C. and completed the sweep, winning a closely contested Game 3 before blowing out the Raps in the deciding Game 4.

The Wizards were 0-3 during that regular season against Toronto, but flipped the script on the Raps in the postseason.

While the two teams have made a number of changes since that series and both sides will probably downplay this as a storyline, the best players on both sides have remained the same and it could start to grow as a story if the Wizards steal Game 1 in Toronto.

The Raps had one of the best benches in the league this year and their depth is partially what helped lead them to the number one seed in the East.  If the Raps go with their starting five of Lowry, DeRozan, O.G. Anunoby, Serge Ibaka, and Jonas Valanciunas, expect to see a combination of C.J. Miles, Fred VanVleet, Jakob Poeltl, Delon Wright and possibly Lucas Nogueira, although he's someone with limited experience and could be the odd man out of the rotation.  The Raps' starting unit would probably be their best defensive unit, with Anunoby expected to spend much of the series defending Beal.  But, the Raps' bench can really spark the offense, with gunners like Miles entering a game and always looking for his shot.  VanVleet's status is uncertain for Game 1 with a shoulder injury, but assuming he can play, he could really be a difference maker for the second unit as he's one of their best playmakers.   While it is common to shorten the bench in the postseason, there's no guarantee that Dwayne Casey will do so, which will be something to watch as the series progresses.

Scott Brooks has mentioned a few times that he expects to shorten his bench heading into the postseason, but he said that could change game to game.  The Wizards have to first wait and see what the status of both Otto Porter Jr. (calf) and Mike Scott (head) will be for Game 1, which could affect the rotation.  If Porter doesn't play, Kelly Oubre Jr. would probably step into the starting lineup and that could open the door for others to log some extra minutes as a backup guard/wing.  If Scott doesn't play, Keef Moris may have to log more minutes or the team may go to Jason Smith as a stretch four off the bench.  If everyone is healthy for the Wiz, the team will use their normal starting lineup, and then go with a combination of Tomas Satoransky, Oubre, Scott, Ian Mahinmi and possibly Ty Lawson at some point, even though he just signed with the team on Thursday.   Lawson would make his Wizards debut in the playoffs if he were to play.

In 2015, the Wizards used their 'small' lineup often to frustrate the Raptors, where they played Porter and Paul Pierce together in the frontcourt.  It will be interesting to watch how often the Wiz use a lineup without a traditional center in this series, when they use either Morris or Scott at the five and have five shooters on the floor.  It may be harder to use that lineup if the Raps choose to keep Valanciunas or Poeltl on the floor, but that will be something to watch as both teams look to try and gain an advantage.

Many of this Wizards' core have entered series in the past as the underdog and they always seem to embrace that role.   While they've never been an eight seed, they have certainly gone into a series with many of the local and national writers, along with TV personalities picking the opposition.

This starting five took a very good Celtics team to seven games of the conference semifinals last year and despite their disappointing regular season, they will enter this postseason with a sense of unfinished business.

Can they turn it on again and play like the playoff Wizards we've seen over the last four years?