Matt Tierney - Raptors.com
Time: (8PM BST - SN1/SNO, SN590)
Toronto (48-22) looks to bounce back tonight when they take on the Rockets (35-37) at the Toyota Center. An undermanned Raptors team we unable to hold off the Celtics Wednesday while Houston enters tonight’s game struggling of late, dropping three straight.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
James Harden – No surprise here. Houston travelled to Toronto on March 6th and left with a W thanks to a 40 point, 14 assist and five rebound performance from their All-Star shooting guard. Not always known for his defensive skills, Harden is still considered one of the elite scorers in the league and trails only Stephen Curry in points per game (29) this season.
Jonas Valanciunas – After failing to see the court for the better part of a week due to a hand contusion, Valanciunas was back in the starting lineup Wednesday night in Boston. The Raptors team as a whole struggled on the offensive end however JV managed to get 21 valuable minutes, putting up 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. TO will be hoping they can get their seven foot center up to full speed with the playoffs approaching.
CLINCHED
It may not have happened how they pictured it, but with some help from Chicago, the Raptors officially clinched a playoff birth Wednesday night for the third consecutive season.
As Toronto continued to separate themselves from the pack and join Cleveland atop the Eastern Conference, it was only a matter of time before their ticket to the postseason was punched.
The impressive part was doing it still with 12 games to play. The Raptors are also one victory away from tying the team’s best-ever record and two from the franchise’s first-ever 50 win season.
Dwane Casey has come a long way since he joined Toronto in 2011. The mark of a good coach is constant progression and Casey has done just that with a winning percentage that has improved in each of his four years in charge of the team.
Their playoff berth has been secured, A first 50-win season is in sight and the number one seed in the East is still up for grabs. It is an exciting time to be a Raptors fan. April can’t come soon enough.
Check out Holly MacKenzie’s feature piece on the Raps clinching.
