Ever since the Toronto Raptors played the first Christmas Day on Canadian soil in 2019, the post-holiday season hasn’t been kind to the team.
Since that historic moment, the Raptors are 1-4 in their first game back from the holidays, with their lone victory coming against the Washington Wizards in 2023.
Despite the festivities around the NBA world coming to an end, the Raptors hope that the Wizards are the gift that keeps on giving ahead of their matchup on Friday.
Winning after the seasonal break isn’t
a completely foreign concept for Toronto. Before the aforementioned 2019 Christmas Day game, the Raptors went 4-1 in their first matchup back from the break from 2014-2018.
The Raptors need to turn back the clock and pick up a victory in Washington before taking on a juggernaut slate of opponents waiting back in Canada for the upcoming five-game homestand.
With tip-off scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST on Sportsnet, here are three more storylines to keep an eye on.
It’s injury-bug season
Both RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl are officially marked as out for the matchup. Barrett has missed 14 straight games since suffering a knee injury against the Brooklyn Nets on Nov. 23. Poeltl has sat out four of the last five contests due to a lingering back injury, with his only appearance being a nearly seven-minute stint against the Nets on Dec. 21.
Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic will likely check back in on the volatile group of Ochai Agbaji, Gradey Dick, and Ja’Kobe Walter, in hopes that one of them has a productive outing. But don’t be surprised if Rajakovic turns to Jamison Battle. The six-foot-seven sniper has struggled to earn a spot in the rotation but he’s reached double-digit minutes in six of the last eight games. At some point, the dam will break, and Battle’s skillset should prove too difficult to ignore.
Collin Murray-Boyles is coming off a career night against the Miami Heat, but if he misses the game (illness), the Raptors might lean on Jonathan Mogbo. Sandro Mamukelashvili also had his best game of the season in Miami and will be expected to keep his hot streak going in Washington.
There’s nothing magical in Washington
Outside of John Cena’s retirement match, the Wizards have been the hardest thing to watch at the Capital One Arena this year. The roster construction is the envy of absolutely no one in the league, but injuries have derailed what could have been a surprise play-in contender.
After being traded to the Wizards in the off-season, Cam Whitmore was expected to thrive in a change of scenery, but he’ll miss his seventh consecutive matchup. Whitmore had been dealing with a shoulder injury and was also recently diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis.
Meanwhile, Corey Kispert finds himself back on the injury report after missing a month because of his thumb. Kispert returned against the Charlotte Hornets on Dec. 23 and played 13 minutes, but he’ll miss the game against the Raptors with a tight hamstring.
The biggest surprise in Washington has been Alex Sarr. He was playing like one of the best centres in the NBA before having to deal with a toe injury and adductor strain. While Sarr has played in three of the last four games, the Wizards still have him on an injury management plan. Sarr is averaging 18.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.0 blocks.
Khris Middleton and Bilal Coulibaly have also returned from their respective injuries, but like Sarr, are being monitored by the Wizards’ medical staff.
Bub Carrington, who has been another standout this season, avoided an injury scare in the Wizards’ last game and should be available.
Scottie B Aggressive
There’s no reason for a passive Scottie Barnes to exist on this iteration of the Raptors. When Barnes limits himself to a mere participant in the offence rather than spearheading the attack, the Raptors are an eyesore.
Barnes finished with less than 10 points in two games this season – against the San Antonio Spurs (Oct. 27) and the Nets (Dec. 21) – and both yielded embarrassing losses. He attempted seven shots against the Spurs and 10 against the Nets. Even though Barnes typically gets taken off the court around the six-minute mark of the game, it’s pivotal that he starts aggressively and carries that mentality into the back-end of the opening frame or early in the second quarter.
Barnes is averaging 19.9 points on 14.7 shots in wins this year.
