Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
The Play-In Tournament Just Got Far More Difficult for the Raptors
The Toronto Raptors needed DeMar DeRozan to deliver a big one Tuesday night in Chicago.
A Chicago Bulls win would have done wonders for Toronto, moving the Raptors into sole possession of the eighth seed in the East with just three games to go. Instead, though, Tuesday went about as badly as possible for Toronto's playoff hopes.
Not only did the Atlanta Hawks knock off Chicago without Trae Young, but a victory by the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday means the Boston Celtics remain one win away from clinching the No. 2 seed in the conference.
Alas, Toronto finds itself in a predicament.
If Boston and Milwaukee win Wednesday, the Raptors' final two games suddenly become meaningless for Toronto's opponents. That, in theory, should make the games pretty winnable for the Raptors. The problem with this picture is a Celtics win over Toronto on Wednesday also makes Philadelphia's Friday night game against the Hawks meaningless and therefore more likely for Atlanta to win.
Conversely, if Toronto does upset Boston on Wednesday, the Celtics remain incentivized to beat the Raptors on Friday night, and beating the Celtics in back-to-back games in Boston seems highly unlikely.
The Hawks, meanwhile, have a date with the tanking Washington Wizards on Wednesday, a game Atlanta is heavily favored to win. After that, they'll play host to the 76ers in a game that may or may not be meaningful depending on what Toronto does. They'll then finish the season on the road in Boston in a game that the Celtics will likely have nothing to play for.
All of this is to say the Raptors are virtually locked into the No. 9 spot, meaning the play-in tournament will likely begin on April 12 in Toronto with a must-win game against the Bulls. If the Raptors win that, they'll head either to Atlanta, Miami, or Brooklyn to face the loser of the 7 vs. 8 play-in game scheduled for April 11.
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