Game Day: Raptors @ Magic

With Wednesday's Raptors win over the Hornets, the Eastern Conference playoff picture remains extremely fluid as the regular season winds down. That Raptors' victory coupled with the Bulls' loss to the Magic gave both teams matching records and vaulted Toronto into third place in the East by virtue of holding the tiebreaker. Chicago reclaimed that spot with a road win over the Heat, but the Raptors can take it right back with a win tonight.

If there's one game that stands out on the out-of-town scoreboard tonight, it's the fifth place Wizards taking on the seventh place Nets in a pivotal battle at Barclays Center.

Will Kyle Lowry return tonight? The Raptors have stayed afloat without the All-Star starter this season (6-6 record in his absence), but the return of a healthy Lowry from his back injury would provide a huge lift in this final stretch before the post-season. Lowry, who has missed nine of the Raptors' last 10 games and the last seven overall, took part in Thursday's practice in Orlando and depending on how his back responds, he could suit up tonight.

The news isn't quite as positive for Amir Johnson (sprained right ankle), who has already been ruled out for a third straight game with no timetable on his return.

The Magic will undoubtedly be looking to play spoiler again tonight, but the Raptors have enjoyed plenty of success in this matchup, winning the last 10 meetings overall. Toronto can sweep a third straight season series against the Magic tonight, which would also represent the ninth NBA team the Raptors have swept in 2014-15.

Most recently, the Raptors erased an eight-point halftime deficit and held the Magic to just 30 second-half points in a 95-82 win in Orlando on December 15th.

As mentioned, this is a Magic team that doesn't appear content to simply play out the string. Sophomore guard Victor Oladipo's layup with 1.5 seconds remaining proved to be the difference on Wednesday as the Magic erased a 15-point deficit and shocked the Bulls with a 105-103 win at Amway Arena on Wednesday. Oladipo led the charge with 23 points, big man Nikola Vučević added 22 points, while rookie guard Elfrid Payton fell just shy of third triple-double of the season with 17 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in the win.

The Magic have ranked 26th overall in the league in defensive rating (105.5 points allowed per 100 possessions), but they have improved under interim head coach James Borrego. Since Borrego replaced Jacques Vaughan on February 6th, the Magic have been tied for 20th in that category (104.3) and held opponents to under 100 points 15 times in 26 games. The Magic held opponents to under 100 points in nine strai ght games from February 6th - March 1st -- the fifth-longest such streak in the NBA this season.

The Magic boast some impressive young pieces, but scoring depth has been an issue that the Raptors may be able to exploit tonight. Orlando's reserves have averaged 26.7 points per game this season, with only the Cavaliers getting less scoring punch off the bench (23.4 PPG). By contrast, the Raptors receive an average of 38.7 points per contest from their reserves -- good for sixth in the league.