Gameday: Raptors @ Celtics, April 7
After the loss against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night and the Atlanta Hawks win over the Washington Wizards, it looks like the seedings in the east are finalized for the play-in.
The only scenario where we take over Atlanta for the 8th seed is if Atlanta loses their remaining last two games and the Raptors win their last two games which is looking highly unlikely.
Nonetheless, even if seeding is not at stake, this is the last away game of the regular season.
Raptors: After nearly making a comeback against Boston, the Raptors were sloppy in clutch time which ultimately decided the game.
Three notable performers are Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes and Precious Achuiwa.
Another night, another Pascal double-double. Siakam caught fire against the Celtics and put up 28 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists, along with 2 steals. He was absolutely unstoppable from the mid-range.
Scottie Barnes bounced back after going scoreless against the Hornets and put up a huge 18 points 8 rebounds and 5 assists, along with 2 steals and a block. This is the type of comeback he needed.
Precious Achuiwa was huge off the bench, scoring 16 points and grabbing 9 boards. He was crucial down the stretch and made a huge play near the end to give the Raptors a chance to win.
Sadly, outside of Precious, the bench did not contribute one bit. Will Barton, Chris Boucher and Christian Koloko scored a total of 2 points in 29 minutes of play. Gary Trent Jr also made his return from injury and went 0/5.
An honourable mention goes to O.G. Anunoby, who didn’t have the best offensive game but put up an absolute defensive clinic with 4 steals and 3 blocks.
Jakob Poeltl did his thing, putting up 10 points and 7 rebounds. However, Fred VanVleet had a stinker which made the difference in this game. To that, his response was…
We can hope that in the final two games, especially tonight, VanVleet and Trent Jr can find their rhythm as their shooting will be crucial to make it past the play-in.
Boston: After the win against the Raptors, the Celtics have clinched the second seed. They don’t really have a reason to play everyone aside from keeping them fresh. However, it looks like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are not on the injury list. Likely they will play for a few minutes and sit out the rest.
Game Info
Tip-Off: 7:30pm EDT | TV: SN1
Raptors Lineup
Otto Porter Jr. (foot) is done for the season. Jeff Dowtin Jr. played his 50th game of the season on Tuesday, the maximum allowed for a player on a two-way deal and will not play another game for the Raptors.
PG: Fred VanVleet, Malachi Flynn, Dalano Banton
SG: O.G. Anunoby, Will Barton, Gary Trent Jr
SF: Scottie Barnes, Ron Harper Jr, Joe Wieskamp
PF: Pascal Siakam, Chris Boucher, Thaddeus Young
C: Jakob Poeltl, Precious Achiuwa, Christian Koloko
Celtics Lineup
Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogdon, and Derrick White are are all considered day-to-day. Danilo Gallinari (ACL) has been out all season.
PG: Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogdon, Payton Pritchard
SG: Derrick White, JD Davison
SF: Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser
PF: Jayson Tatum, Grant Williams, Blake Griffin
C: Robert Williams III, Al Horford, Luke Kornet, Mike Muscala
Upcoming Regular Season Schedule
Bucks @ Raptors, April 9
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