Who should the Raptors hope to face in the first round?
The East-leading Toronto Raptors have played 81 of 82 games this regular season, but still don't know who they will face in the opening round of the NBA playoffs.
Heading into the season finale against the Miami Heat on Wednesday, the Raptors, who have already clinched the top spot in the conference, could still potentially face the Washington Wizards, Milwaukee Bucks or Heat.
Here's what the schedule looks like for these teams on the final night of the season.
Raptors @ Heat - 7:30pm ET on the TSN Network and TSN GO
Wizards @ Magic
Bucks @ 76ers
And here are the scenarios for who Toronto who will play in the first round of the playoffs which start on Saturday.
Raptors will play Wizards if...
Potential matchup with Wiz gives Raps chance to erase memories of 2015 The Washington Wizards are the only possible playoff opponent the Toronto Raptors haven't beaten in the playoffs. Kate Beirness takes a closer look at their potential playoff matchup.
- Magic beat Wizards
OR
- Wizards beat Magic and Bucks beat 76ers
Season Series: Raptors went 2-2 against the Wizards this season.
Playoff History: The Wizards swept the Raptors in the opening round of the playoffs in 2015.
Raptors will play Heat if...
Dragic and depth could cause Raptors problems The Heat may not carry the star-power that the Bucks and Wizards boast but they do have the depth that could potentially match the Raptors. Kate Beirness has more in this possible playoff preview.
- Wizards beat Magic and Raptors beat Heat
Season Series: The Raptors are 1-1 against the Heat this season with one game left to play on Wednesday.
Playoff History: Toronto edged Miami in a seven game series during the second round of the 2016 playoffs.
Raptors will play Bucks if...
Depth should propel Raptors past the Bucks The Bucks and Raptors became familiar with each other during last year's playoffs and despite a down year for Milwaukee, they still boast a game-changer in Giannis Antetokounmpo. Kate Beirness takes a closer look at the potential first-round playoff matchup.
- Wizards beat Magic, Heat beat Raptors and 76ers beat Bucks
Season Series: Raptors took two of three games against the Bucks this season.
Playoff History: Toronto got past a tough Milwaukee squad in six games during the opening round of the playoffs last year.
Notes
The Cleveland Cavaliers currently sit fourth in the Eastern Conference and seem destined for a date with the Indiana Pacers in the first round. However, there is still a chance they move up to third after Wednesday's play if a couple things go their way. The Cavs need to beat the New York Knicks and will need the Bucks to snap Philadelphia's 15-game win streak in order to get the three spot. This is important for Toronto as the Raptors would face the winner of the 4 vs. 5 matchup in the second round, assuming they don't get upset in round one. Cleveland has eliminated Toronto in the post-season the past two seasons and have taken two of three matchup against the Raptors in 2017-18.
The Toronto Raptors will face the Washington Wizards in the first round of the 2018 NBA playoffs.
The Wizards lost to the Orlando Magic 101-92 on Wednesday night.
The NBA’s playoff seeding came down to the final game of the regular season, with only five of the sixteen seeds — Toronto (1), Boston (2), Houston (1), Golden State (2), and Indiana (5) — locked in heading into Wednesday.
Having already solidified the top seed in the East for the first time in franchise history, the Raptors entered the final night with three potential first-round opponents: the Wizards, Bucks, or Miami Heat.
The Raps have recent playoff history with all three but the Wizards arguably present the most daunting task. After earning home court advantage in 2015, Toronto was unceremoniously swept in four games by Washington. The Wizards’ current core of John Wall, Bradley Beal, Otto Porter, and Marcin Gortat remains the same from that team while Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Jonas Valanciunas and Dwane Casey are the only carryover from that series for the Raptors.
Apart from losing to a 25-win Magic team on Wednesday, the Wizards enter the post-season with just three wins in their last twelve games.
Toronto and Washington split their season series 2-2, each splitting a win each at home and on the road.
The NBA playoffs — and the Raptors’ chance for redemption versus the Wiz — begins this weekend.
Check back here soon for complete series schedules and broadcast information along with a full series preview.
It took until the final day of the regular season, but we finally have the matchups for the Eastern Conference playoffs. The 1 vs. 8 matchup will see the Toronto Raptors take on the Washington Wizards. Toronto captured the No. 1 seed for the first time in franchise history, as they finished 59-23 on the season -- a franchise record for wins. On the other hand, the regular season was a disappointment for the Wizards, who were without John Wall for a long stretch, and finished in eighth place after finishing in fourth last season.
No. 1 Toronto Raptors (59-23) vs. No. 8 Washington Wizards (43-39)
Playoff series schedule:
Game 1 in Toronto: TBA
Game 2 in Toronto: TBA
Game 3 in Washington: TBA
Game 4 in Washington: TBA
Game 5 in Toronto: TBA (if necessary)
Game 6 in Washington: TBA (if necessary)
Game 7 in Toronto: TBA (if necessary)
Season series: Tied 2-2
Last season's playoff results: Raptors were eliminated in the second round by the Cleveland Cavaliers; Wizards were eliminated in the second round by the Boston Celtics.
Injury report: No notable injuries.
Toronto Raptors projected starting lineup: G Kyle Lowry; G DeMar DeRozan; F Serge Ibaka; F OG Anunoby; C Jonas Valanciunas
Washington Wizards projected starting lineup: G John Wall; G Bradley Beal; F Otto Porter Jr.; F Markieff Morris; C Marcin Gortat
Raptors win if
They just continue doing what they've done all season. The Raptors have been the best team in the East all season long. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan have done their usual work and the bench has been spectacular. As long as they trust in what has gotten them here and don't revert to bad habits when things get tough, they should be fine.
Wizards win if
The "Playoff Raptors" show up and John Wall plays like an All-Star. Toronto has had a habit in the past of no-showing in the playoffs. If Lowry and DeRozan aren't up to their usual best, and the Raptors' bench isn't ready for the moment, then the Wizards are talented enough to make this a series. But they'll need Wall to step up and play like the All-Star version of himself.
SportsLine projections
According to SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh, the Raptors have a 33.3 percent chance to win the conference and a 7.7 percent chance to win it all. The Wizards on the other hand, have a 2.4 percent chance to reach the Finals. SportsLine will have game-by-game gambling advice for every playoff series here.
The Raptors (59-23) set a franchise record with 59 wins this season on their way to clinching the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time.
Now, Toronto will try to make the most of home court advantage when it begins its postseason journey against the Washington Wizards (43-39).
The two teams split their four meetings this season, with both teams winning one game on the road. Here's a reminder about how those four meetings went:
Nov. 5: Wizards win 107-96 in Toronto
Nov. 19: Raptors win 100-91 in Toronto
Feb. 1: Wizards win 122-119 in Washington
Mar. 2: Raptors win 102-95 in Washington
This could be a very interesting matchup, especially given the return of Wizards point guard John Wall from a knee injury. Washington's backcourt of Wall and Bradley Beal match up very well with the Raptors' duo of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan.
The two teams last met in the postseason in 2015, when Washington swept Toronto in their first-round series. That year, the Raptors were favored only slightly as the fourth seed against the fifth-seeded Wizards.
The teams will find out when they will meet for Game 1 late Wednesday night after the NBA announces its postseason schedule after the conclusion of the regular season.
