Three Stats That Stood Out in Wizards vs. Raptors

Some of the areas that plagued Washington last season were their high amount of turnovers and lower assist totals. The Wizards weren't a bad rebounding team but failed to shoot the ball well from three.

More of the same could be witnessed in the one-point nail-biter. Here is a look at three numbers that stood out for Washington in their preseason game against Toronto.

1. The Wizards hauled in 63 rebounds.

When a team shoots more than 100 times and makes about one out of every three, there's bound to be multiple boards pulled down by the opposing team. That was the case for the Wizards against the Raptors.

Toronto shot the ball 107 times, making only 36 of their attempts. Washington held a one-point lead at halftime, 63-62. The Wizards were outscored by two points in the second-half against the Raptors on Sunday.

However, a pair of Wizards players had 11-point, nine-rebound performances. Kyshawn George and Khris Middleton were both one rebound away from a double-double. Alex Sarr added eight boards himself to go with his 12 points.

Marving Begley III hauled in seven rebounds of his own, with four of them being offensive boards. Rookie Tre Johnson had seven rebounds, as well, but only three were offensive ones. The Wizards out-rebounded the Raptors 63-59.

2. Washington turned the ball over nearly 20 times.

When any team gives the ball up 19 times, it's hard for them to win. Yet, the Wizards almost pulled off the win. Had it not been the Raptors' Sarr with a last second alley oop layup, Washington would be celebrating and not Toronto.

The Wizards had just two more assists than they had turnovers. Tristan Vukcevic committed four turnovers in just 16 minutes on the court.

Washington guards CJ McCollum and Bub Carrington both also had four turnovers each. The pair combined for just four assists. That's not a healthy ratio for a team looking to end a four-year playoff drought.

3. Shockingly, the Wizards shot blocking was on point.

Sarr and George were the only two players for Washington that had multiple blocks on Sunday. Sarr rejected two shots and George sent back four of the Raptors' shots on Sunday in our nation's capital.

Five other players recorded a block for the Wizards, including four from the bench. Toronto had just four blocked shots and 10 turnovers against Washington. However, the Raptors had two more offensive rebounds.

The Wizards have two more preseason games this week before they open up the 2025-26 NBA regular season on the road against Middleton's former team, the 2021 NBA champion, the Milwaukee Bucks.