Raptors news: Toronto needs help for No. 8 seed, Pascal Siakam issues warning

The Toronto Raptors polished off a two-game sweep of the Charlotte Hornets on the road on Wednesday with a 120-100 victory. Even with Scottie Barnes scoring as many points as the popcorn vendor in the 100-level seats, strong play from Will Barton and Pascal Siakam sealed the victory.

The Raptors still remain tied with the Atlanta Hawks at 40-39, as Atlanta picked up a win against the Chicago Bulls. Due to tiebreakers, the Hawks would currently be the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, while Toronto falls down to No. 9 in that bracket.

The difference between No. 8 and No. 9 is massive, as Toronto would have the ability to lose against the No. 7 seed and still end up sneaking into the playoffs. A 9-10 matchup, likely against the Chicago Bulls, would be a do-or-die game that no team wants to find themselves in.

The Hawks have two more home games against the Wizards and 76ers before heading up to Boston to end the season against the Celtics. Toronto takes on Milwaukee after two Boston road matchups. Toronto needs to not only win out, but also get some extra help from Atlanta to escape the No. 9 spot.

More Raptors news

• In an interview with Taylor Rooks, Fred VanVleet said that he doesn’t regret addressing the poor officiating of Ben Taylor by name to illustrate his frustrations with how the game is called right now.
• “I don’t really regret it—maybe not saying his name so it wasn’t so much attention on him,” VanVleet said. “I think I made my point and I think you saw the reception around the league.”
• Pascal Siakam said that when the Raptors are operating at peak efficiency, they could be a scary postseason matchup for just about every team.” I always say that once we get into the playoffs,” Siakam said during an interview on SportsCenter, “we can kind of make some noise and I don’t think it would be fun for a lot of teams to play us.”

NBA news

• The Detroit Pistons, who picked Cade Cunningham No. 1 overall in 2021, have clinched the worst overall record in the NBA following a loss to the Houston Rockets. Detroit, along with Houston and the San Antonio Spurs, will have a 14% shot at landing Victor Wembanyama by earning the top selection.
• After the Brooklyn Nets lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the New York Knicks clinched the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference and will face the No. 4 seed Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs. Brooklyn will likely earn the No. 6 seed and play the No. 3 seed 76ers in the playoffs.