The Saturday before the last day of the regular season is an off day, planned in advance so that all 30 teams can play on Sunday, the final day on the schedule. 

For Garrett Temple, the tradition — like many others’ — is to sink into the couch and watch The Masters, the idyllic golf tournament that always falls on the last weekend of the NBA season. 

It’s a habit that took root back in 1997 when a then 22-year-old named Tiger Woods was taking the golf world by storm and surging to a record-setting win at Augusta National, the first of 14 major titles and one of the most dominant runs by any athlete in any sport. 

Growing up in Baton Rouge, La., a then-10-year-old Temple wasn’t a golfer. He was from basketball royalty in the state and was poised to follow his father’s footsteps as a high school star and eventually play at LSU, a campus he used to ride his bike around as a kid. 

But Woods represented something different — someone young, athletic and of colour — and one afternoon of watching him on the prowl, Temple felt the excitement in his living room. 

“I hadn’t played golf at all. And my Dad, he had dabbled a little bit, as he got some opportunities as a retired (college and NBA) player, but he didn’t know how to play at all really,” said Temple. “But I said to my Dad, ‘I want to learn how to play golf’. He said okay, and we went to Walmart, and I got a set of clubs, some Wilsons. And we got some lessons the next week, one time, and I’ve been playing ever since.”

Meeting a fellow golfer is like making an instant friend, but there are levels to it. 

There are a lot of people who play golf and put it in the same category as bowling, or table tennis, or maybe skiing: something fun to do when the occasion permits and the weather is good, with not much thought given to it before or after. 

Completely fine.

Then there are those who have, for better or worse, had the game seep into their molecular structure. It exists like a low-level vibration in your being, looking for opportunities to be fully expressed. 

Temple is more the latter.  

“I just got hooked, man,” he says. 

He’s a member of two clubs in Baton Rouge: the University Club of Baton Rouge — the home course for the LSU Tigers — and the Country Club of Louisiana, established in 1896, and which is close to his off-season home. 

“So I play as much as I can.”

Which is how Temple found himself rolling up to the first tee at TPC Boston last Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on a cold, damp, blustery afternoon when most found something warmer to do indoors. 

But the NBA schedule isn’t all that golf-friendly, so Temple was undeterred. The tee-sheet was empty, the course was wide open, his work responsibilities were taken care of, so off he went, walking with a pull cart, braving the chill, as happy as his 10-year-old self was chasing daylight around Historic City Park, the 9-hole public course in his neighbourhood he grew up playing.

During the season, he only gets to play so much. He and Jamison Battle — along with assistant equipment manager Nick Mann — tipped it up in Denver on a recent road trip. They got in a game in Los Angeles and played a couple of times during training camp. 

In Phoenix last month, the hotel the team stayed at had a golf course on the property. With the trip overlapping with spring break, some players and coaches had their families with them. Temple was able to take his five-year-old son out on the course with him. 

“I’m getting him into it. He enjoys it. He enjoys it, man,” said Temple. “He’s five, and he has his own little set of clubs. He asked me, ‘Why do you have more clubs that me?’ All he has is a driver, a nine-iron and a putter, you know? But he’s interested.”

He won’t lack for opportunities. “I got a simulator in my house in Baton Rouge,” said Temple, the setup facilitated by former Raptor, current Sixer and fellow golf nut, Kyle Lowry. “Man, shout out to Kyle Lowry. Got me a discount. Canadian company HD Golf.”

Temple shot in the 80s regularly in high school and college. The unpredictability of NBA life — he’s played on 12 teams in 17 seasons — interrupted some of those rhythms. Getting married and starting a family — he now has three children with his wife, Kara — has added a layer of complication.  

When Temple was a member of the Memphis Grizzlies, he bought a house adjacent to TPC Southwind, which hosts a PGA Tour event annually, only to get traded in February of that year before ever getting to play it. But he did get to tip it up there while the Raptors were in Memphis at the end of last week. 

His best golf came during the pandemic when he played daily as a member of the Brooklyn Nets while the league was gathered in Orlando for the resumption of the 2019-20 season in the “NBA bubble.” He got himself down to a nine handicap. 

His next goal is to participate in the American Century Championships, the event where big names from sports and entertainment compete at Lake Tahoe. 

Is his game ready? “If Kyle’s game is ready, mine is ready. If Zach LaVine’s game is ready, mine is ready. If Vince [Carter’s] game is ready — those are all guys I’ve played with a beat at times. If they can play it, I can,” said Temple. 

Like any athlete, he loves the competitive fix he gets from golf, and the unsolvable nature of it. 

“It’s amazing, man,” he said. “I love golf because you can’t ever master it. And it’s a game that you play until you’re 78 years old. So I can play with my son, my grandson, my great-grandson, someday, my daughters. It’s set up for people of all levels to play, you’re in nature. 

“I could go on all day about golf. 

If he was one regret after 17 years in the NBA is that he’s never been able to attend the Masters, and most of the time he can’t even watch the final round because he’s working, as he will be Sunday when the Raptors host the Brooklyn Nets in their season finale at 6 p.m ET (Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet+). 

The exception was last season when he caught Rory McIlroy’s dramatic final round because he had to leave the Raptors’ last game of the season in San Antonio with a sprained knee. It was a welcome distraction as he was hobbling on crutches. 

With the day off on Saturday, he toyed with the idea of zipping down to Augusta to experience one of golf’s cathedrals in person. “I know a guy,” he said when asked about how he planned to get such a hot ticket. 

But realistically, he’ll spend the day like so many other golf nuts: taking care of some errands in the morning — he’s got a haircut booked with his son — and the rest of Saturday will be spent listening to the dulcet tones of Jim Nantz and watching on CBS. 

It’s a good way to spend an off day. And there will likely be a year sooner than later that Temple will be able to take in the tournament in person. Retirement will mean he’ll have the Masters week free for the first time since he turned professional in 2009. 

Temple turns 40 next month, and while he remains fit and enthusiastic as ever, he understands his role as the Raptors’ designated veteran can’t last indefinitely, not as the team improves and the crunch for roster spots gets tighter and the current group gets further along in their careers. 

“I’m 17 years in, I’m definitely thinking about [retirement],” said Temple when we spoke in Memphis a week ago Friday. “Now, if I’m thinking about it, doing it this year or next year or the year after, who knows. But it’s definitely on my radar. I’m closer to retirement than the beginning of my career, that’s for sure. So, you know, we’ll see what happens. But I’m cherishing this time for sure. It went by fast, and the rest, whether it’s a year, two years or whatever, it will go by faster.”

Maybe that trip down to Augusta can wait. 

More from Sportsnet

Ingram, Murray-Boyles have Raptors on verge of playoffs after beating Heat

Rajakovic deserves recognition for Raptors’ playoff push

Luke Kennard scored 19 points and Rui Hachimura added 13 for the Lakers, who will be either the third or fourth seed in the Western Conference despite finishing the regular season without injured stars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

Los Angeles (52-29) is one game behind third-place Denver (53-28) with one game left, but LA holds the tiebreaker over the Nuggets.

The Lakers won their second straight and their 15th in 19 games with a vintage performance from the 41-year-old James, who showed no weariness on the second night of a back-to-back set in which he scored 54 points on 63.6% shooting (21 for 33).

James also recorded the 12,000th assist of his career in the first half, becoming only the fourth NBA player to reach the milestone.

The NBA scoring king racked up 14 points in the first quarter, and he added six points and seven assists in the second half while making sure the Lakers’ lead stayed firm.

Dillon Brooks scored 12 points for the Suns, who are seventh in the West standings and locked into the top spot in the play-in tournament.

Devin Booker sat out for Phoenix to rest his injured right ankle for the postseason, and Jalen Green also sat with right knee soreness. Collin Gillespie and Grayson Allen played in the first half, but sat in the second half of the Suns’ lowest-scoring performance of the season.

The Lakers’ injury woes remain dire, but Marcus Smart had six points and seven assists against Phoenix in his return from a nine-game injury absence.

James scored or assisted on nine of the Lakers’ first 10 field goals while they streaked to an early 16-point lead.

Up next

Suns: At Oklahoma City on Sunday.

Lakers: Host Utah on Sunday.

More from Sportsnet

NBA Roundup: Pistons surge past Hornets, locking Charlotte into play-in

Raptors Takeaways: Larger goal still within reach despite loss to Knicks

Already assured of the top seed in the Eastern Conference, the Pistons played their regular starters against the Hornets.

Cade Cunningham scored 14 points, Ronald Holland II had 13 and Ausar Thompson added 12 for Detroit, which is one win shy of its first 60-win season in 20 years with one regular-season game remaining. Duren also had a game-high nine rebounds.

LaMelo Ball had 27 points and eight assists and Brandon Miller had 22 points to lead the Hornets.

Through late in the third quarter, the lead had changed hands 11 times with 13 ties and neither team led by more than eight.

But Charlotte held its last lead at 83-82 with 5:52 left in the third quarter and after the teams were last tied at 87 with 2:46 left in that period, Detroit went on a 24-8 burst for a 111-92 lead with 6:23 to play.

HEAT 140, WIZARDS 117

WASHINGTON — Washington clinched the worst record in the NBA with a loss to the Miami.

Washington (17-64) has lost nine in a row and 25 of its last 26 to tumble to the bottom of the standings.

The Wizards became the first NBA team to lose 64 games in three consecutive seasons. The Vancouver Grizzlies lost at least 63 games in each of their first three seasons from 1995-96 to 1997-98, while the Process-era Philadelphia 76ers matched that futility from 2013-14 to 2015-16.

Simone Fontecchio and Pelle Larsson both scored 24 points for the Heat (42-39), who had lost 10 of 13. Miami scored an average of 143.5 points while going 4-0 against Washington this season.

The Heat are already assured a fourth consecutive trip to the play-in tournament.

Miami’s Bam Adebayo had 20 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. He scored 83 points, the second-most in NBA history, against Washington on March 10 and averaged 34.8 points against the Wizards this season.

Miami used a 10-0 run late in the first quarter to take the lead for good. The Heat was up 34-23 after a quarter and 72-52 at halftime. Miami shot 63.2% (24 of 38) in the first half.

KNICKS 112, RAPTORS 95

NEW YORK — Jalen Brunson scored 29 points, Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds, and New York clinched the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference with its 13th consecutive victory over Toronto.

The Knicks improved to 53-28 with the victory in what could be a preview of a first-round playoff series. New York lost its chance to climb to No. 2 when Boston beat the lottery-bound New Orleans Pelicans, while Toronto (45-36) is currently sixth in the East after having its two-game winning streak snapped.

Brunson shot 12 for 18 from the field while Towns was just as effective, shooting 8 for 12 for the Knicks, who extended their winning streak to five games.

New York forward OG Anunoby injured his left ankle midway through the second quarter and did not return to the game.

Brandon Ingram scored 16 points and Ja’Kobe Walter and Scottie Barnes each had 15 for the Raptors, who have not beaten New York since Jan. 22, 2023. The Knicks won all five meetings this season, once in the NBA Cup tournament.

CELTICS 144, PELICANS 118

BOSTON — Sam Hauser had 24 points on eight 3-pointers, and Boston tied the franchise and NBA record with 29 3s on its way to clinching the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 playoff seed with a win over New Orleans.

Jaylen Brown added 23 points in 29 minutes, sitting out the entire fourth quarter. Payton Pritchard finished with 21 points and 10 assists for Boston, which clinched the Atlantic Division.

The Celtics’ 29 3s equal their total from Oct. 22, 2024 against the Knicks. The Memphis Grizzlies (April 6 vs. Cleveland) and Milwaukee Bucks (Dec. 29, 2020 at Miami) also share the record.

Big man Neemias Queta even got in on the action for Boston, knocking down his first career 3 to go along with 10 rebounds. Seven different Celtics players had at least two.

Boston led by as many as 41 points against a Pelicans team missing several starters.

76ERS 105, PACERS 118

INDIANAPOLIS — Tyrese Maxey scored 32 points, Paul George had 21 and Philadelphia beat Indiana to snap a three-game skid.

VJ Edgecombe scored 16 points, Kelly Oubre Jr. had 15 and Andre Drummond had 16 rebounds and 10 points for the Sixers (44-37), who maintained their eighth-place position in the Eastern Conference with one game remaining.

A year after they made it to Game 7 of the NBA Finals, Pacers (19-62) ensured they will finish with the second-worst record in the league.

Jarace Walker led Indiana with 17 points, followed by Quenton Jackson with 16 and Ethan Thompson with 15. Micah Potter had 13 points and 10 rebounds.

The Pacers went 14 of 50 from 3-point range, while the Sixers were 5 of 29. Indiana had 21 turnovers while the Sixers had just eight.

Philadelphia finished with a 64-28 advantage in points in the paint.

HAWKS 124, CAVALIERS 102

ATLANTA — CJ McCollum scored 29 points and Atlanta used a big third quarter to blow out Cleveland, clinching a playoff spot and the Southeast Division title.

The Hawks had not won the Southeast Division since 2021, when they ultimately advanced to the Eastern Conference finals. They have been in the play-in tournament the last four seasons.

James Harden scored 20 points for the Cavs, who are locked into the No. 4 seed in the East. Jaylon Tyson returned from a 10-game absence to start and had 15 points.

Dyson Daniels had 13 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds for the Hawks, his second triple-double of his career. Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 18 points and Jalen Johnson added 18 points and nine rebounds before sitting out the final 10 minutes of the game. The Cavs shot 26% from 3-point range.

The Hawks have won 14 of their final 15 home games ahead of the playoffs.

Atlanta led 66-55 in the third quarter, then put together a 16-0 run to push the lead to 27. It was never threatened thereafter.

BUCKS 125, NETS 108

MILWAUKEE — AJ Green made 11 3-pointers to set Milwaukee’s single-game record and scored a career-high 35 points in a victory over Brooklyn.

Green shot 11 of 16 from 3-point range to break the record of 10 3-pointers that Ray Allen and Damian Lillard had shared. Green’s now has 227 3-pointers as he chases the franchise single-season record of 229, set by Allen in 2001-02.

Milwaukee’s Cormac Ryan added a career-high 28 points in his first start. Taurean Prince had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Prince was 6 of 11 and Ryan 5 of 9 on 3-point attempts.

As a team, Milwaukee shot 24 of 48 from beyond the arc.

This game marked the Bucks’ home finale as they wrap up their first losing season in a decade, snapping a string of nine straight playoff appearances. It comes amid speculation regarding the future of two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has spent his entire 13-year career in Milwaukee.

MAGIC 127, BULLS 103

CHICAGO — Franz Wagner scored 25 points, Jamal Cain added 20 and Orlando remained in the running to avoid the play-in tournament by beating Chicago.

Orlando’s fifth straight win, combined with Toronto’s loss to New York, moved the Magic (45-36) into a tie with the Raptors for sixth place in the Eastern Conference with one game remaining.

Paolo Banchero chipped in with 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Jalen Suggs scored all 12 of his points and hit four 3-pointers in the third quarter, helping the Magic break open the game.

Tre Jones scored 23 points for Chicago (31-50), which hit the 50-loss mark for the first time since the 2018-19 team finished 22-60 under Fred Hoiberg and Jim Boylen. The Bulls are looking for new leadership after firing executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley on Monday. They could also be in the market for a new coach if Billy Donovan opts to step down after six seasons.

Leonard Miller had 15 points and seven rebounds. Matas Buzelis scored 14 after missing three games because of an illness. He exited with a sprained right ankle in the fourth quarter and wasn’t sure if he’ll travel to Dallas for the season finale on Sunday. Josh Giddey missed his fourth straight game because of a strained left hamstring, and Donovan said he will not play against the Mavericks.

SPURS 139, MAVERICKS 120

SAN ANTONIO — Victor Wembanyama had 40 points and 13 rebounds in his 65th game to become eligible for NBA awards, and San Antonio beat Dallas.

De’Aaron Fox had 18 points and 10 assists and Keldon Johnson had 17 points for San Antonio.

Rookie Cooper Flagg had 33 points, six rebounds and five assists for Dallas, which has lost 11 of 13.

After opening the season with a 40-point game against Dallas, Wembanyama reached 40 for the fifth time in what could be his regular-season finale.

The NBA requires a minimum of 65 games played to be eligible for season-long awards and Wembanyama got there in San Antonio’s penultimate game.

The 7-foot-4 Wembanyama, who leads the league with 197 blocks, is favored to win Defensive Player of the Year, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.

NUGGETS 127, THUNDER 107

DENVER — Jonas Valanciunas had season highs of 23 points and 17 rebounds, and Denver beat Oklahoma City in a battle of reserves.

Denver (53-28) won its 11th straight game to secure at least the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. Julian Strawther finished with 22 points and David Roddy had a season-high 21 points.

The Nuggets sat their entire starting lineup despite battling for home-court advantage in the first round. A 21-5 run to open the fourth quarter gave them the win they needed and kept them in position for the No. 3 seed. Denver entered with a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Lakers, who were hosting Phoenix.

The Nuggets, who finish the season at San Antonio on Sunday night, prioritized rest over seeding.

JAZZ 147, GRIZZLIES 101

SALT LAKE CITY — Blake Hinson scored a career-high 30 points, John Konchar and Bez Mbeng had triple-doubles, and Utah beat short-handed Memphis.

Bez Mbeng had a career-high 27 points, Kennedy Chandler scored 26 and Ace Bailey 23 for the Jazz, who snapped a 10-game skid.

Mbeng added 11 rebounds and 11 assists and Konchar finished with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in the first game in which the Jazz had two players record a triple-double in the same game.

When Konchar scored his 11th point, his former Memphis and current Utah teammate Jaren Jackson Jr. got so excited he ran onto the court and drew a technical foul.

Memphis’ Dariq Whitehead (21 points) and Tony Okani (20 points) also posted career-highs, and Adama Bal added 18 points.

TIMBERWOLVES 136, ROCKETS 132

HOUSTON — Anthony Edwards had 22 points, with a key 3-pointer late, Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 23 points off the bench and Minnesota snapped Houston’s eight-game winning streak.

Amen Thompson had a career-high 41 points and Kevin Durant added 33 for the Rockets, who have clinched a playoff berth but are still playing for postseason seeding. The Timberwolves are also heading for the playoffs with the sixth seed in the Western Conference.

Minnesota led by 10 with about four minutes left before Houston used an 8-2 run, with four points from Alperen Sengun, to cut the lead to 132-128 with about a minute to go.

But Edwards hit a 3-pointer a few seconds later to push the lead to 135-128 and send the home fans streaming toward the exits.

The Rockets led by five before Minnesota used a 13-4 run, with the first eight points from Donte DiVincenzo, to take a 116-112 lead with about eight minutes to go.

Reed Sheppard made a basket for Houston, but Minnesota scored the next seven points, capped by a 3 from DiVincenzo, to push the lead to 123-114 midway through the quarter.

The 37-year-old Durant has scored 2,026 points this season, making him the oldest player to reach 2,000 in a season. He passed Karl Malone, who did it in the 1999-00 season when he was 36. It’s Durant’s eighth season with at least 2,000 points and the first since 2023-24.

KINGS 124, WARRIORS 118

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Devin Carter scored a career-high 29 points and Sacramento missed an opportunity to improve its draft position by beating Golden State.

The Kings remained tied with Utah for the fourth-worst record in the NBA this season, matching a win by the Jazz earlier in the night.

Maxime Raynaud added 23 points for Sacramento in the final home game of the season.

Brandon Podziemski scored a career-high 30 points to lead the Warriors, who used the game as a tuneup for next week’s play-in tournament.

This was just the second game that Stephen Curry and Kristaps Porzingis played together for Golden State after the two had about eight minutes on the court at the same time on Sunday against Houston in Curry’s first game after missing 27 games with a knee injury.

Coach Steve Kerr said before the game he wanted the two to get as much time as possible in the final two games of the regular season. Golden State is assured the 10th seed in the Western Conference and will need to win two play-in games to make the playoffs.

Curry and Porzingis each scored 11.

TRAIL BLAZERS 116, CLIPPERS 97

PORTLAND, Ore. — Deni Avdija scored 35 points, Donovan Clingan had 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Portland beat Los Angeles to take the inside track for the eighth seed in the Western Conference.

If Portland beats the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, the Blazers will secure their spot in the 7-8 play-in game on Tuesday in Phoenix against the Suns.

Robert Williams III had 13 points and 10 rebounds as Portland outrebounded the Clippers 46-35 and won the turnover battle despite leading the league in turnovers.

Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 24 points and eight rebounds.

After Portland took a 55-35 first-half lead, the Clippers stormed back. Jordan Miller’s 3-pointer gave the Clippers their first lead since the first quarter at 82-79 with 2:05 left in the third. But the lead was short-lived as Matisse Thybulle tied it at 82 on Portland’s next possession.

LAKERS 101, SUNS 73

LOS ANGELES — LeBron James had 28 points, 12 assists and six rebounds, and the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers clinched home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs with their victory over Phoenix.

Luke Kennard scored 19 points and Rui Hachimura added 13 for the Lakers, who will be either the third or fourth seed in the Western Conference despite finishing the regular season without injured stars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

Los Angeles (52-29) is one game behind third-place Denver (53-28) with one game left, but LA holds the tiebreaker over the Nuggets.

The Lakers won their second straight and their 15th in 19 games with a vintage performance from the 41-year-old James, who showed no weariness on the second night of a back-to-back set in which he scored 54 points on 63.6% shooting (21 for 33).

James also recorded the 12,000th assist of his career in the first half, becoming only the fourth NBA player to reach the milestone.

The NBA scoring king racked up 14 points in the first quarter, and he added six points and seven assists in the second half while making sure the Lakers’ lead stayed firm.

It made sense that the Raptors didn’t play Immanuel Quickley on Friday night. He toughed out two games on his injured right foot against Miami this week, but he was on a minutes restriction and still looked to be in some discomfort after the games. Sitting him out on the second night of a back-to-back only made sense. 

And Collin Murray-Boyles sitting out with a sprained neck? He was in discomfort during the win over the Heat on Thursday – he had tape across his shoulder and had a heat pad on his neck during moments on the bench – so it’s not hard to imagine that stiffening up overnight. 

As for RJ Barrett being a late scratch to manage his left knee? That tracks, actually. 

Barrett’s right knee requires regular attention. He’s proven durable over his career, but periodic swelling in that knee is not uncommon. 

All of which to say is I don’t think the Raptors were trying to be cute with their lineup against the Knicks, who had all their regulars available save Mitch Robinson and Miles McBride. 

But the outcome was predictable as the Raptors fell 112-95 to New York, which improved to 5-0 against the Raptors as the two teams also met in the quarterfinals of NBA Cup play. 

The Raptors have now lost to the Knicks 13 straight times and lost all five games against them this season by double figures. 

If the current seeding holds up (more on that below) and the Raptors, as the sixth seed, meet the third-seeded Knicks, there is a scenario in which the Raptors could lose to New York nine straight times in a single season, which would have to be a record. 

It’s worth questioning why the Raptors played any of their key performers at all, given they could still control their destiny with a loss to New York and a win over Brooklyn Sunday.

Even healthy versions of the Raptors have been manhandled by the Knicks. Toronto struggles with New York’s size on the glass and its ability to spread the floor with shooters at nearly every position. And when all else fails, the Raptors – like almost every other team in the NBA – can’t seem to stop six-foot-one point guard Jalen Brunson, regardless of who is covering him or what the scheme is. He led all scorers with 29. The Raptors got 17 from Sandro Mamukelashvili. 

After a spirited first quarter, the Knicks used a 10-0 run to start the second to push their lead to double figures and kept pushing to take a 51-36 lead into halftime as the short-handed Raptors shot just 42 per cent from the floor, made eight turnovers and shot 4-of-10 from the free throw line.

A game that seemed hard to win before it started seemed nearly impossible at that point. 

So the question became: was it worth risking Brandon Ingram rolling an ankle or Scottie Barnes jamming his knee? Or Jakob Poeltl tweaking his back, which cost him 36 games this season?

That their two all-stars have combined to play 155 of a possible 162 games has been a major reason for the Raptors’ success, and the Raptors need Poeltl healthy to have any chance, regardless of who they play in the playoffs. 

Having any of those guys spend any more time around the violent moose that is Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns than absolutely necessary seems unwise. 

In the end, the worst did not come to pass. Everyone seemed to come out of the game intact, which is all that really matters. 

The loss dropped the Raptors’ record to 45-36, and with the Atlanta Hawks’ win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, bumped Toronto back to sixth place in the East, with all teams having played 81 games and all 30 teams finishing off the schedule on Sunday. 

Meanwhile, the Knicks are locked into the third seed and the Cavs in fourth. 

Thanks to their wins over Miami on Tuesday and Thursday, the Raptors’ task – regardless of the outcome against the Knicks – is to win against Brooklyn at home on Sunday. 

Given that the Nets will be doing everything humanly possible to not win their 21^st game on Sunday and thus move out of the preferred bottom three positions for the draft lottery, there is no reasonable circumstance in which the Raptors should lose.

Whether they finish as the fifth or sixth seed will depend on the outcome of the Hawks-Heat game on Sunday. 

If the Hawks win, they’ll have 47 wins and would be the fifth seed with the Raptors – presuming the win over Brooklyn – in the sixth spot. 

But if the Hawks lose and the Raptors win, the Raptors will earn the fifth seed as they won the season series over Atlanta. 

Barring something catastrophic, the Raptors will clinch a playoff spot Sunday, that’s to be sure. 

That was perhaps the blue sky goal coming out of training camp, but certainly not a guarantee. 

It’s something of which this team should be justifiably proud. 

And having the time off – the playoffs wouldn’t start until next Saturday at the earliest – could be really helpful. It should give Quickley time to heal up that much more, and perhaps just as importantly, give Barnes time to gas up. 

He was eighth in minutes heading into last night’s game and at a new career-high with 2,649. He finished with 15 points, four rebounds and five assists against the Knicks – all below his season marks – and was averaging just 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 7.2 assists in his six previous games. The bump in assists coming because he was filling in for Quickley at point guard. 

The Raptors will need him at his best if they’re going to be a factor in the playoffs, whoever they play. 

Three-point Grange:

15^th roster spot drama

No matter what happens over the weekend, the way the Raptors have handled their two-way spots this season has been hard to figure out, to say the least. As had been expected, the Raptors waived Tyreke Key on Friday. He was only on the roster for three days, and there were no plans to use him in meaningful minutes or have him on the playoff roster. It was simply a kind gesture to recognize a player who had been a reliable figure in their G-League program the past two seasons. Three days at the prorated NBA minimum for a rookie player is worth about $22,000, which is not a bad little bonus for someone on a standard G-League contract, which paid $45,000 this past season. But in rewarding Key, the Raptors pushed the decision on which of their active two-way players they’ll convert (Chuck Hepburn is still recovering from knee surgery) down the road even further. According to multiple sources, the Raptors initially planned to convert one of Alijah Martin or AJ Lawson in mid-March when their salary cap position would allow it. But they veered from the plan – first to sign Markelle Fultz on a 10-day and now Key. 

So what now? 

As of Friday afternoon, there was no clarity on which of Lawson or Martin would have their two-way contracts converted to a standard NBA deal, a move required for either of them to be eligible for the post-season roster. The financial benefits are minimal, as either player would just get two days (if the conversion were Saturday, one day if it’s Sunday) at the NBA minimum. The deal would likely be for a couple of years at the minimum and would likely include a series of rolling guarantees which give the team all the control. The players only get paid when they’re on the roster at the end of training camp, and would have a series of team options hanging over them as the season progressed. It might be more amenable for Martin, who is just wrapping up his first year as a professional as a second-round pick. Regardless, if the Raptors extend Martin a qualifying offer, they would be able to control his rights next season on a lightly guaranteed deal. As a fourth-year pro, Lawson is in his last year of eligibility for a two-way contract. The question he’ll have to consider is whether another contract with a series of rolling guarantees that would prevent him from exploring opportunities with other NBA teams in the off-season would be the right decision, or if it’s time for the 25-year-old from Toronto to pursue a chance with another organization. Both Martin and Lawson got minutes against New York. Lawson was 1-of-5 with six rebounds in 22 minutes, while Martin was 1-of-5 with two assists in 12 minutes. 

Steady Shead: For all the talk about load management and tanking and the rest, the Raptors have some guys who have been soldiers all season. I mentioned Barnes and Ingram, but Jamal Shead has a chance to be the first Raptors player since Jakob Poeltl in 2017-18 and just the 17^th player in franchise history to play all 82 games. Given the way he fights over screens and stands in on charges and the rest, he deserves credit for that. 

More from Sportsnet

Knicks’ OG Anunoby exits vs. Raptors with ankle injury

Celtics hit 29 threes, rout Pelicans to clinch East’s No. 2 seed