Toronto Raptors: The week ahead

It’s a road trip with a twist for the Raptors, who will be in planes, trains and automobiles before they get back home. They’ll ride the rails up to Philadelphia from Washington, fly home for a night and drive back to the airport before embarking on their overseas journey. All in all, it’s an odd week and going 2-1 would be imperative and a sweep of three will set them up well heading into a seven-game homestand.

Friday at Washington, 7 p.m.

John Wall of the Wizards won the Eastern Conference player of the month award for December and some thought Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan should have been the one to earn that honour. It’s not a one-on-one showdown, but it’s something to watch.

Saturday at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.

It’s hard to describe a team with a record as atrocious as Philadelphia’s as being on the rise, it’s more accu- rate to say they aren’t as bad as they used to be. Jahlil Okafor has shown promise most of the season.

Thursday vs. Orlando at London, England, 3 p.m.

It’s a road trip like no others — a trans-Atlantic journey for one game to appease the league’s international promotions people. With three days off before to practice, see the sights and fulfill obligations, they’ll be ready for the game. Doug Smith