The Toronto Raptors took a massive step toward clinching a top-six spot with their double-digit victory over the Miami Heat Thursday night. Friday night, they’ll have the opportunity to lock down a playoff spot for the first time in four years in New York against the Knicks.
Watch the Raptors take on the Knicks at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT on TSN3, TSN4, TSN.ca and the TSN App.
The Raptors swept the season series with back-to-back wins against the Heat this week, taking Tuesday’s matchup 121-95 and last night’s 128-114. Currently, they occupy the fifth spot at 45-35 with two games to go and have won three of their past four.
The Atlanta Hawks own the same record as Toronto, but the Raptors have the tiebreaker. If things ended right now, the Raptors would play the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs, while the Hawks would take on the Knicks, leaving the Orlando Magic (44-36), Philadelphia 76ers (43-37), Charlotte Hornets (43-37) and Miami Heat (41-39) in next week’s Play-In Tournament. The Raptors also hold the tiebreaker over the Magic and are a full two games up on the 76ers.
But a lot can change. And fast.
A win over the next two games gets Toronto in the postseason. A loss by all of the Magic, 76ers and Hornets Friday night would also do the trick.
If the Raptors were to lose at Madison Square Garden Friday night, suddenly a Raptors-Knicks first round becomes likely, assuming the Raps are able to beat the lowly Brooklyn Nets to close out the season on Sunday. Unless the Hawks win both games and the Raps don’t, in which case Atlanta will slide into the fifth seed and take on the Cavs, who sit a game behind the third-place Knicks.
Friday’s game at MSG is consequential for the Knicks as well. A win from New York would go a long way toward securing Toronto as their first-round opponent, which may be exactly what Jalen Brunson and Co. are hoping for.
The Raptors have lost to the Knicks 12 times in a row dating back several years, including in all four meetings this season. And those games haven’t been particularly close, either.
The Knicks have won this year by margins of 22, 16, 27 and 16. Three of those games have come at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, including the Raptors’ Emirates Cup elimination at the hands of the Knicks on Dec. 9. Their most recent meeting at Scotiabank Arena on March 3 was close until the Raps went cold in the fourth quarter and were outscored 24-13.
But if you ask forward Brandon Ingram – who had one of his best games as a Raptor with a season-high 38 points Thursday night against the Heat – the Raptors aren’t focused on who they may be matched up with in the playoffs, but rather on finishing the season strong.
“We’re getting closer and closer to what we want at the end of the season. We just take it game by game,” Ingram told reporters after Thursday’s game.
“I stopped looking at the standings and I just focus on how I can be my best self on any given night and just continue to be aggressive, find my teammates when they’re open and get some defensive stops.”
Head coach Darko Rajakovic echoed Ingram’s sentiment, joking that travel logistics were more on his mind than the standings.
“We’re going to try to beat Miami to the airport because our flights are at the same time,” said Rajakovic. “Then we go to New York and compete the best we can against New York.”