All you need to know ahead of Monday’s Wizards-Raptors game.
Russell Westbrook and the Washington Wizards visit Gary Trent Jr. and the Toronto Raptors on Monday night, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.
The Raptors (19-30) just snapped a four-game losing streak with a dominant 53-point blowout of the Golden State Warriors on Friday. The Wizards (17-31) are hoping to stop a three-game slide, but are 0-1 against the Raptors this season.
Here’s when you should tune in to see the game:
Date: Monday, Apr. 5
Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV Channel: NBC Sports Washington (WSH) and Sportsnet (TOR)
Washington: Bradley Beal (right hip) and Rui Hachimura (right shoulder tightness) are questionable. Thomas Bryant (ACL) and Daniel Gafford (right ankle) are out.
Toronto: Fred VanVleet (left hip strain) is questionable. Jalen Harris (right hip), Rodney Hood (right hip), Kyle Lowry (right foot), Patrick McCaw (left knee) and Paul Watson (health and safety protocol) are out.
The typical All-Star Saturday Night festivities will take place on Sunday, March 7th along with the All-Star Game. The Skills Competition and Three Point Competition will happen prior to the game and the Slam Dunk Contest will be at halftime, according to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Derrick Jones Jr., who represented the Heat in 2020 and is now with the Blazers, is the reigning Dunk Contest champion, after beating Aaron Gordon in the finals last year. It remains to be seen if either player returns to the Dunk Contest – but a few members of the 2020 rookie class have shown plenty of bounce and intrigue to put on a show come halftime on March 7th.
Pritchard suffered the injury during the first quarter on Friday when Jaylen Brown appeared to crash into his right leg.
Boston Celtics rookie Payton Pritchard will miss at least the next two weeks with a right knee injury suffered Friday night versus the Philadelphia 76ers, the team announced on Saturday.
Pritchard suffered the injury during the first quarter when teammate Jaylen Brown appeared to crash into his right leg. He had to be helped off of the court by the team medical staff following the incident and was unable to put any weight on his leg.
The Celtics said on Saturday that an MRI revealed a Grade I sprain of his MCL and that he is expected to return to on-court activities in approximately two weeks.
Payton Pritchard is helped off the court after a collision with Jaylen Brown.
The 26th overall pick this season has emerged as a key player off the bench for the Celtics, averaging 7.7 points, 2.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds on 42.5% shooting from 3-point range. Pritchard ranks 12th in scoring among qualified rookies and sixth in 3-point percentage.
Magic point guard Markelle Fultz will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL, but the team is confident Cole Anthony can fill his role.
Orlando Magic rookie Cole Anthony has played mostly a sixth man role off the bench to this point of the season, but that figures to change following the news that surfaced on Wednesday night.
The Magic announced following a 105-94 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers that starting point guard Markelle Fultz suffered a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the season. Fultz attempted to plant on his left knee early in the first quarter but, instead, his leg gave out and he went crashing onto the court. He was carted off back to the locker room in a wheelchair and immediately underwent an MRI.
The news immediately sent shockwaves throughout the team and the rest of the NBA.
Of course, Fultz played just 33 games over the first two years of his career with the Philadelphia 76ers due to a shoulder injury. He had finally been healthy, appearing in 72 games last season with the Magic while averaging 12.1 points per game. He started off this season on track to have his best year yet but will now miss the remainder of it, seemingly, as quickly as it started.
Following the game, teammate Terrence Ross was shocked to hear the prognosis of Fultz and was initially speechless during his press conference with reporters.
“I mean, it sucks. It’s not good news,” Ross said. “But if anybody can handle this, it’s ‘Kelle. He has the heart of a lion. He’s super talented, always positive. I know he’ll be able to handle this. We all got his back, we will all be here for him. You hate to see this, especially for a guy who already fought through so much and came back and was ballin’ and now this. It’s just one of those things, it’s going to make him stronger. He is going to come back from that, I have no doubt.”
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
In place of Fultz, the Magic turned to Anthony, who produced eight points, four assists and three assists in a season-high 32 minutes of work. The increased workload will certainly be a precursor of things to come with Fultz now out.
Anthony had only played over 30 minutes once this season prior to Wednesday night — a blowout loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on New Year’s Eve. He was typically among the first players off the bench and performed well in that role but will now be thrown into the fire and play an extensive role for a team that has started off with a 6-2 record and is second in the Eastern Conference.
Despite being only eight games into his NBA career, his Magic teammates are confident that Anthony will be able to rise to the occasion in place of Fultz.
“He is built for this,” Ross said. “He is not shy of any moment. He’s a tough kid. He is improving really fast. He is picking everything up. It’s going to take some time but you gotta go through it. That’s how everybody goes through it when they first get into the league. They gotta figure out where they are, figure out how they can contribute every single night. It’s going to help him grow up a little faster. It’s all about how he handles it but I think he will do well.”
Unfortunately, Anthony is in the midst of a brutal offensive slump. He is converting on 30.3% of his shots from the field, including 19% from 3-point range. When asked if he feels prepared to take over for Fultz, Anthony said he is ready but playfully added that it would help if he could start making a shot or two on the court.
Despite the offensive woes, Anthony has managed to stay productive on the court due to his defensive activity and ability to make plays. Anthony has drawn four charges this season, which is tied for third-most in the NBA, while he is also seventh in charges drawn per game. He earned praise from Magic head coach Steve Clifford for his defensive activity and willingness to seek contact on that end of the floor.
That, as Anthony said after the game, is completely by design.
“I compete so, I mean, I take it personal when I see someone who is trying to get a bucket on me,” Anthony said. “I’m going to do everything in my power to prevent that from happening. In turn, that is going to help the team. They see that if I set the tone by pressuring my defender, that is going to make them want to go pressure their defender, too. It’s a chain reaction. As a team, we just get better defensive like that so I’m going to do everything I can on my part to do that.”
The loss of Fultz will undoubtedly hurt the Magic this season, and further test their depth.
The team is already dealing with injuries to Evan Fournier and Michael Carter-Williams in the backcourt, and the Fultz news further exacerbates that issue. Anthony will certainly have his fair share of growing pains, but the team is confident that Anthony can step in and help immediately.
His 23 points are the most scored by a rookie in a game this season, topping the 22 points that LaMelo Ball scored on Dec. 30.
Payton Pritchard on Monday night dropped a career-high 23 points to help lead the Boston Celtics to a 126-114 victory on the road over the Toronto Raptors in Tampa, Florida.
Pritchard dished out a career-high eight assists while he finished by shooting 8-of-13 from the field, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range. His 23 points are the most scored by a rookie in a game this season, topping the 22 points LaMelo Ball scored on Dec. 30.
The 26th overall pick scored 11 points in the first half off the bench to help the Celtics erase an early 13-point lead by the Raptors. Pritchard proved to be effective running the offense and often got his teammates involved in the action, as evidence by his team-high eight assists.
Pritchard has given the Celtics a nice spark off the bench this season and that was once again the case on Monday. He has had a few inconsistent outings but has the ability to come into games and take over and add energy when needed.
Based on his play this season, Pritchard has made a strong case to be the starting point guard until Kemba Walker returns from injury. The team may prefer his energy and offense off the bench but he has at least given head coach Brad Stevens something to seriously consider.
