The Washington Wizards used a strong second-half performance to knock off the Toronto Raptors 106-98 in DC on Sunday evening. The Wizards have now evened their series with the No. 1 seed in the East 2-2, something not many expected because of the playoff betting odds at the start of the series. Even at home, the Wizards were a 1.5-point underdog according to oddsmakers BetDSI coming into Game 4. This game easily went under the total of 217.
Guard play
When this series was set, we knew that guard play would prove pivotal. Both the Wizards and the Raptors are fueled by a sensational guard duo. John Wall and Bradley Beal got the upper hand on DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry for the second straight time, putting the Raptors at risk of becoming the first No. 1 seed to not make it out of the first round of the NBA playoffs in quite some time.
Wall continues to re-establish himself in this series. He wasn’t shooting great from the field, hitting just 10 of his 24 field goals in Game 4, but he was helping out in other ways. Wall had 14 dimes, six rebounds, and three assists in the Wizards victory, and he also came up big after Beal fouled out with over four minutes to go in the game. He was able to put the team on his back and either get to the line or drive and kick to an open teammate.
For Toronto, this is another missed opportunity. Neither Lowry nor DeRozan had a great game, with DeRozan in particular struggling. He finished the night with 35 points, but he was just 10-29 from the field and padded his numbers by getting to the line 18 times.
What’s next
Toronto and Washington will meet north of the border for Game 5 on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. ET. There are no lines yet, but you can check BetDSI later in the week for Game 5 betting odds.
