Raptors clinch direct spot
Toronto clinched a direct playoff berth and will avoid the Play‑In Tournament this postseason. (bleacherreport.com) That guarantee changes who needs to win in the play‑in to reach the full playoff bracket. (bleacherreport.com)
Toronto is in the Eastern Conference playoffs without needing the Play-In Tournament after finishing No. 5 at 46-36 on the final day of the regular season. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) The National Basketball Association’s updated bracket on April 12 slotted the Raptors into a first-round series against the No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers, with Game 1 listed for April 18 at 1 p.m. Eastern time. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) That finish also locked Atlanta into No. 6 at 46-36 and pushed the East play-in field down to Philadelphia, Orlando, Charlotte and Miami. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) The play-in is the National Basketball Association’s four-team mini-bracket for the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in each conference. Teams seeded seventh and eighth play for the No. 7 spot, while ninth and 10th play an elimination game, and the remaining teams meet for No. 8. (nba.com) With Toronto out of that group, the East play-in now decides who faces Boston as the No. 7 seed and Detroit as the No. 8 seed. The official bracket after April 12 showed New York against Atlanta and Cleveland against Toronto already set. (nba.com) Toronto entered the final weekend still needing help. NBA.com’s clinching scenarios said the Raptors could secure No. 5 with a win and losses by Orlando and Atlanta, or secure No. 6 with an Atlanta win and a Toronto win or losses by Orlando and Philadelphia. (nba.com) The Raptors had moved into that position by beating Miami 128-114 on April 9 behind Brandon Ingram’s season-high 38 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. That win lifted Toronto to 45-35 and tied it with Atlanta before the last three days of the schedule. (sportsnet.ca) By Sunday night, the standings showed Toronto and Atlanta with the same 46-36 record, but Toronto held the No. 5 line and Atlanta the No. 6 line. Philadelphia and Orlando both finished 45-37, with Philadelphia placed seventh and Orlando eighth. (nba.com) (espn.com) For Toronto, the immediate change is simple: no extra game on April 14 through April 17, and a full week aimed at Cleveland instead of survival basketball in the play-in. The postseason path is fixed now, and it starts in the main bracket on April 18. (nba.com) (nba.com)
