The Toronto Raptors visit the Washington Wizards on Friday, December 26, with tipoff set for 7:00 p.m. ET at Capital One Arena in Washington. The Eastern Conference matchup brings together two teams headed in opposite directions in the standings.
Toronto enters the game with an 18-13 record and sits firmly in the playoff mix. Washington owns a 5-23 mark and continues to manage a rebuilding roster amid persistent injuries.
The Raptors carry a one-game winning streak after defeating Miami 112-91 on December 23. That result followed an 81-96 loss to Brooklyn on December 21, a game in which Toronto struggled to generate offense.
Washington arrives on a two-game losing streak after falling 109-126 to Charlotte on December 23 and 113-124 to San Antonio on December 21.
Toronto has already taken the season series lead. The Raptors beat the Wizards 140-110 on November 21 in Toronto.
Injuries remain a central storyline for Friday’s contest. RJ Barrett is ruled out with a right knee sprain, removing a 19.4-point scorer from the wing rotation. Jakob Poeltl is also out with a lower back strain, leaving Toronto without its primary rim protector.
Collin Murray-Boyles is listed as questionable due to illness. Several two-way players, including Chucky Hepburn, A.J. Lawson, and Alijah Martin, are unavailable due to G League assignments.
Despite the absences, Toronto continues to rely on Brandon Ingram, who leads the team with 21.7 points per game while shooting 47.1 percent from the field. Scottie Barnes adds 19.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per contest, anchoring both ends of the floor.
Immanuel Quickley remains the primary playmaker at 6.4 assists per game. Sandro Mamukelashvili has provided frontcourt spacing, averaging 10.5 points while shooting over 41 percent from three.
Washington’s injury report is shorter but impactful. Corey Kispert is out with left hamstring tightness, limiting perimeter shooting depth. Cam Whitmore remains sidelined due to a right shoulder deep vein thrombosis.
The Wizards continue to lean on CJ McCollum, who averages 18.6 points per game and shoots 39.4 percent from beyond the arc. Rookie big man Alex Sarr has emerged as a focal point, posting 18.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game.
Kyshawn George contributes across categories with 14.7 points and 5.2 assists per night, while Marvin Bagley III adds interior scoring efficiency off the bench.
