Raptors clinch top‑six
Toronto clinched a top‑six seed in the Eastern Conference, which lets the Raptors avoid the Play‑In and solidify their first‑round positioning. (CBS Sports listed the final seeding and noted the Raptors secured the last top‑six spot, and The Athletic circled the team as one that took charge late in the regular season.) (cbssports.com) (nytimes.com)
Toronto is in the Eastern Conference playoffs without a stop in the Play-In Tournament after finishing in the conference’s top six on the final day of the regular season. (cbssports.com) The National Basketball Association’s official bracket lists the Raptors at 46-36, tied with Atlanta but seeded fifth in the East, with Cleveland fourth at 52-30. Toronto opens the first round at Cleveland on Saturday, April 18, at 1 p.m. Eastern. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Toronto locked in that spot Sunday with a 136-101 home win over Brooklyn in Game 82. The Raptors entered the day at 45-36, and the win removed any path back into the play-in field. (nba.com) (cbssports.com) In the National Basketball Association, seeds seven through 10 go to the Play-In Tournament, which runs this year from April 14 through April 17. Seeds one through six go straight to the best-of-seven first round that starts April 18. (nba.com) (cbssports.com) That format made the last top-six place in the East the line Toronto had to clear. CBS Sports’ final bracket roundup said the Raptors “clinched the final top-six seed and a guaranteed playoff berth on Sunday.” (cbssports.com) The matchup also fixes Toronto’s next opponent: Cleveland, not one of the four teams still playing for the East’s last two playoff spots. The official bracket shows Philadelphia against Orlando in the 7-8 game and Charlotte against Miami in the 9-10 game. (nba.com) Toronto’s late push changed the shape of its postseason. The Athletic’s regular-season-finale analysis highlighted the Raptors as a team that “took charge late in the regular season” as the East’s final seeding fell into place. (nytimes.com) Now the Raptors move straight from a 46-win regular season into a Cavaliers series, with no extra elimination game in between. The reward for getting into the top six is simple: Toronto’s playoff run starts Saturday, and it starts in the bracket, not the play-in. (nba.com) (cbssports.com)
