Predicting the Final 22 Games For Raptors This Season

The Toronto Raptors are 60 games into the season and they are entering the final quarter of the year with a chance to make it all the way to the playoffs.

For the Raptors, it would be their first playoff appearance since 2022, and the first postseason birth of the Darko Rajakovic era. Here's a look at the final 22 games and where the Raptors are predicted to end up.

Locked Wins (8)

Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram shoots the ball as Washington Wizards forward Justin Champagnie defends. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

vs. Dallas Mavericks, at Chicago Bulls, at Utah Jazz, at New Orleans Pelicans, vs. New Orleans Pelicans, vs. Sacramento Kings, at Memphis Grizzlies, vs. Brooklyn Nets

The Raptors have eight of their final 22 games against teams that are heading for the lottery and are actively tanking to get up to their draft position next season. This should help the Raptors get above .500 for the year.

Locked Losses (4)

at Minnesota Timberwolves, at Denver Nuggets, vs. Detroit Pistons, at Detroit Pistons

These are the four most difficult games on the schedule for the Raptors, and it will be very difficult for them to find a way to win on the road against three of the best teams in the league. The Raptors can be competitive in these games, and there is hope for them in each of the contests, but it will ultimately lead to losses if their opponent plays the right way.

Up In The Air (10)

vs. New York Knicks, at Houston Rockets, vs. Phoenix Suns, at Phoenix Suns, at Los Angeles Clippers, vs. Orlando Magic, at Boston Celtics, vs. Miami Heat, vs. Miami Heat, at New York Knicks

These are the toss-up games for the Raptors, simply because they are in roughly the same spot as Toronto going into the final month or so of the season. The hope is that the Raptors can win half of these games to keep pace in the Eastern Conference.

Final Record Prediction

If the Raptors go 8-0 in the "locked win" section and 0-4 in the "locked loss" section, that would put them at 43 wins for the year. They would then need to win a handful of games in the "up in the air" section to secure their spot in the top six in the Eastern Conference.

There's a good chance the Raptors can win half of those games, getting to 5-5 and 48-34 on the season, which should give them a chance to compete for that top four spot, but there's a likelihood that it will give them the No. 5 or 6 seed.

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