The Toronto Raptors matchup with the Boston Celtics on Wednesday features two teams in drastically different situations.
The Celtics have accepted their fate as a lottery team and are content to rack up losses down the stretch, each one improving their shot at a franchise-altering star in the 2014 draft. The Raptors, on the other hand, have playoff positioning to play for and, after Tuesday’s loss to the Cavaliers, sit just 1.5 games up on the Brooklyn Nets in the Atlantic and a half game below the Chicago Bulls for the third spot in the East.
The fact that the Raptors have something to play for doesn’t guarantee them a win tonight, though. Toronto’s last two games have seen them stumble against sub-.500 teams. Against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday, they found themselves down by as many as 14 points in the fourth quarter before Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan exploded to score a combined 23 in the frame and bring them back. On Tuesday, they dug themselves even deeper, trailing by as many as 21 against a short-handed Cavaliers team before mounting another Lowry-led rally, only to fall short in the dying seconds.
Leaning so heavily on late game heroics is becoming an alarming trend, and one that the Raptors need to buck against the Celtics. This will be no easy task, especially on the second night of a back-to-back.
In his first year at the helm of the Celtics, Brad Stevens has his scrappy squad competing night in and night out. In four of their last five games, the Celts have beat the Heat, taken the Pelicans to overtime (losing by a single point) and lost to the Mavericks and Suns by a combined 12 points. The Celtics won’t simply roll over.
Man down
Injuries continue to be an issue for the Raptors down the stretch. Their most important reserve, Patrick Patterson, did not travel to Boston and is set to miss his 12th consecutive game with a right elbow sprain. Starting point guard Kyle Lowry has been hampered by a groin injury that he sustained in Friday’s double-overtime loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. His injury, combined with Dwane Casey’s mandate to rest him and DeRozan heading into the playoffs, has resulted in Lowry playing less than his season-average minutes (36.6) in each of the Raptors’ last two games. This means for longer stretches, usually in the first half, Casey has gone to Grievis Vasquez and Nando de Colo, both of whom have been shaky.
Boards, Boards, Boards.
The Raptors were manhandled on the glass in Cleveland, getting outrebounded 49-38. Things won’t get any easier against a Celtics team that, at 43.2 boards per game, sits 13th in the NBA in rebounding. The Celtics have five players that average five or more boards per game and another four that average at least three. That first list includes Jared Sullinger, who went for 25 points and 20 rebounds on Jan. 16th against Toronto.
Point Guard Problems
In recent games, the Raptors have been torn apart by opposing team’s point guards, with both Lowry and Vasquez struggling to contain their man in the half court. This will be a major concern tonight against Rajon Rondo, one of the league’s best PGs. Rondo may not be completely back to 100 percent after suffering a major knee injury, but even 90 percent will be more than enough for the Raptors’ to handle. In his last six games, Rondo has averaged nine points, 12 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game.
Five Long Years
A win tonight in Boston combined with a New York Knicks’ loss on the road against the Sacramento Kings would officially clinch the Raptors’ first playoff berth since the 2007-08 season.