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Wizards vs. Raptors preview: Washington looks to bounce back at home against Toronto

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

After rattling off four straight wins in the thick of December, the Washington Wizards have now lost four of their last five games and are 1-2 in their current home stretch.

The Wizards last faced the Toronto Raptors on Dec. 30 as the Drake's hosted the Wiz kids in Canada. That game wound up being a three-point loss for the Wizards as they fell 94-91 to the Raptors. DeMar DeRozan scored 34 points in that game.

The Wizards could have won that game. Toronto had a 90-81 lead late, but the Wizards scored the next seven points, and then pulled within one when Jared Dudley hit a three-pointer with 39 seconds to go. But then the Wizards misfired on three outside shots on their final possession.

To get back on track in the East, this win is a much-needed one for Washington.

Game Info

When: Friday, Jan. 8, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern

Where: The Phone Booth - The Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.

Watch on: CSN Mid-Atlantic for folks in the DMV, Sportsnet One for the good people up in Canada.

Listen to: WNEW - 99.1 FM in Washington

Injury Report

For the Raptors, Demare Carroll had knee surgery on Wednesday, so he will miss this one and likely a few more. Alan Anderson (ankle) and Bradley Beal (fibula) are out for the Wizards while Kris Humphries is questionable.

Most likely Wizards' killer

Bismack Biyombo had a double-double, with 12 points and 12 rebounds, off the bench for the Raptors in their last game against the Wizards. Biyombo failed to score in his last outing against the Nets, but has been getting consistent minutes for the Raptors and can be a threat on both offense and defense with his rebounding, shot blocking and scoring abilities around the basket.

Will he have a 20-20 game against the Wizards? Probably not. But Biyombo can bang with guys like Marcin Gortat and Nene, and he can also make things tough against small-ball four's who are looking for a shot near the basket.