The Raptors have one more road game, and one more home contest before the season is over, both against the two New York teams. The bad news: they’ve got to play the 52-win Knicks in Madison Square Garden, a must-win game to keep any type of breathing room between them at the Play-In. The good news? Their last game is against a Nets squad that’s near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, having lost 7 of their last 10 games. But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

The Knicks have dominated the Toronto Raptors in an embarrassing fashion this season. And the season before that. And the season before that. It’s been since 2023 that the Raptors have picked up a win against the Knicks, and the Raptors will be hard pressed to snap that streak to end this season. New York is playing with essentially their entire roster intact, and are cruising after a win against the Celtics last night where both Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart at more than 25 points.

Both the Raptors and Knicks are playing back-to-backs, so there’ll be no fresh legs for anyone on the court today. While New York has clinched a playoff spot, the Cavaliers are right behind them, nipping at their heels, and the Celtics, should they drop these next two games, could theoretically fall in the standings and give the Knicks the second seed in the Conference. Culturally, the Knicks seem likely to put the pedal to the metal to preserve their spot, so a high energy game is likely here.

The Knicks’ depth is something that the Raptors need to be able to manage. Toronto has been able to contain New York’s twin stars in Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, but expending too much energy on those two leaves the Raptors open to big scoring games from OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, or Josh Hart. The Raptors can put out excellent defensive lineups, but the Knicks are a team where anyone can be a hero and ruin an opponent’s night.

The magic of point-Scottie seems to be over with for now, as Barnes hasn’t hit 10 assists in his last four games after a magical playmaking run, all-the-while taking a step back from scoring. Barnes has been middling this season against New York, posting below season-average statlines against the Knicks. Brandon Ingram, coming off a big game against the Heat, needs to do his best to continue his streak against New York’s stifling defence. Ingram has hit more than thirty points against the Knicks twice this season, and completing a trifecta might be the best chance the Raptors have to take down New York this late in the season. With Immanuel Quickley still shaking off the cobwebs as he returns back from an injury, the Raptors can use every point they can muster against a New York team that’s held them under 100 points in three out of four contests this season.

The best thing for the Raptors to do is to do what they do best: play smothering defence from the 1 to the 5, force an off-night for Knicks stars while not giving up open shots to the rest of the squad, and allow Barnes to get involved as a primary facilitator while trusting Brandon Ingram to put the ball through the hoop.

Game Information and Details

Game Time: 7:30 EDT

Watch On: TSN

Injury Report

Raptors: Trayce Jackson-Davis (Day-to-day – illness)

Knicks: Tyler Kolek (Day-to-day – right oblique)

Projected Lineups

Raptors: Immanuel Quickley, Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl

Knicks: Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Karl-Anthony Towns

Jordan McLaughlin came to the Spurs as part of the trade that put De’Aaron Fox in a Spurs jersey. The Silver & Black lost Tre Jones, Zach Collins, and Sidy Cissoko, but gained a clutch starting point guard to pair with Victor Wembanyama while offering a veteran presence to the young squad.

While the inclusion of McLaughlin may have had the appearance of balancing salaries or rosters, the Spiurs saw something in McLaughlin that led to signing him for an additional year over the past summer.

After the summer acquisition of Dylan Harper, it looked as though minutes for Jordan McLaughlin may never materialize, but the guard who turned 30 yesterday has shown what being ready is all about.

Any time J-Mac (as he is affectionately known by his teammates) is called into action, he is ready.

As Jacob Douglas pointed out regarding McLaughlin’s contributions to Wednesday night’s game:

“McLaughlin is just solid. He came in and did his job for 9 minutes, playing pesky perimeter defense, taking care of the ball, and playing within the flow of the offense. He’s about all the Spurs could ask for in a fourth guard.”

He may not get many minutes, but what he does with them keeps the Spurs machine grinding away. Without Stephon Castle on Wednesday. Dylan Harper got his third start of the season. And this left room to rotate McLaughlin in off the bench.

Afterward, Carter Bryant, who shined in his 25 minutes, gave credit to his teammates and a special shout to McLaughlin.

“J-Mac has been a big part of that for me. He’s been like, ‘Just trust your work, understand your time is going to come. Keep being confident in yourself’…We have a lot of guys that when their name is called upon, they do a great job. Like J-Mac does a lot of stuff. Every time he gets an opportunity to play, I admire J-Mac so much because he doesn’t get the opportunity to play too much. But every time he goes in he’s steady. He’s constant…he’s very detailed…you never see him get high or low whether he’s have a great game or a terrible game, by his body language you can never tell. So I respect him a lot and I look up to him for sure. ”

As the Spurs go into the playoffs, minutes can become even more scarce at the end of the bench. While staying healthy is paramount for the marquee players, staying ready is the key to McLaughlin’s role.

Happy belated birthday, J-Mac. Thanks for all you do and here’s to staying ready and willing when your number is called. May there be many opportunities.

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NEW YORK CITY — Jayson Tatum made the choice to not bite his tongue a long time ago.

At the Celtics’ shootaround on Thursday morning, when he was asked about the emotions of playing at Madison Square Garden for the very first time since his injury, the Celtics star opted to be completely candid.

“Nervousness, anxiousness,” he said. “All the things you’d probably expect.”

On paper, Thursday’s game was just another regular season game between two Eastern Conference foes. Entering the match-up, the Celtics had won four straight games, and held a three-game lead over the New York Knicks for second place in the Eastern Conference.

But, in reality, Thursday night held extra weight, marking a return to the place where Tatum’s long, lonely rehab journey began. Inside the walls of MSG was a moment in time in which everything changed: the night Tatum ruptured his Achilles tendon almost eleven months ago.

“The lowest point of my life was here,” Tatum said.

Tatum remembers hearing a pop. He remembers his career — and the Celtics’ future — flashing before his eyes. And, he remembers thinking that it all could be over, that he might never be the same again.

“One day I felt like Superman, and then the next day I felt like the smallest man on Earth,” Tatum said on the Pivot Podcast in January. “It’s been a struggle.”

Since that fateful day, Tatum has cleared plenty of milestones. He returned to 5-on-5 action in January, and practiced with the Maine Celtics for the first time in February. He made his national stage, NBA debut on March 6th, and was named the Eastern Conference’s Player of the Week just a few weeks after that.

To an observer, it appeared Tatum’s greatest challenges were in the rearview mirror. He was not only back, but he was playing some elite basketball.

Still, another major hurdle loomed: a return to Madison Square Garden. While he could have delayed that eventual emotional confrontation, he didn’t want to kick the can down the road and opted to lace up while his co-star, Jaylen Brown, sat.

Earlier in the week, Brown admitted he hadn’t considered Thursday’s game could carry extra emotion, but offered his support: “Mentally, it could possibly be something — but that’s what your teammates are there for. We got his back.”

For Tatum, it was very heavy. Moments before tip-off, he made his way over to the exact spot on the court where his leg gave out on him and took a deep breath.

“It was a lot,” Tatum said. “Especially in the beginning. It took me a while to calm down.”

But, in this return to New York City, he had the support of more than just his teammates.

Pregame, Knicks head coach Mike Brown expressed how happy he was to see Tatum back in action.

“Seeing him back on the court should bring joy to anybody,” Brown said.

When Tatum’s name was announced as part of the Celtics starting lineup introductions, the MSG crowd — which had been rauceoulsy booing every Celtics player — erupted in cheers.

“That means a lot, obviously,” Tatum said. “I appreciated that.”

Tatum wanted to play a great game and for the Celtics to walk away with a win. Neither of those things happened; the Celtics fell to the Knicks 112-106, and Tatum shot just 7-22 from the field and turned the ball over 6 times (though he did also finish with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists).

But even the most fiery competitor in him could admit that the final score and stat line were not the most important thing in the world.

“I just kind of wanted to walk off the floor on my own two feet,” he said.

That he did. After the final buzzer sounded, Tatum hugged nearly every player and coach on the Knicks, a moment that was representative of what the last couple of weeks of action have looked like.

“Since I’ve returned, the reception that I’ve gotten from players, coaches I’ve never even spoken to, GMs has been great,” Tatum said.

Tatum could have minimized the significance of Thursday’s game and chosen not to share with the public the emotions he was battling. He could have simply brushed aside the questions, calling Thursday night just another game.

But, he opted not to do that.

Surrounded by reporters in the visiting locker room after the loss, Tatum was completely honest.

“It was a big moment, a big hurdle for me,” he said. “I was nervous and anxious to come back here.”

Why choose to do that?

From the beginning, he made the choice to be completely authentic about his struggles, about the doubts he faced, about the mental aspect of the recovery.

“The nature of this business is [that] there’s millions of eyes on us all the time. And when I went down, millions of people were watching,” he said. “And so, it’s a lot of people that have paid attention to this journey. I’ve been candid about it from the beginning, that, hopefully, my experience and the way I approached and attacked this has inspired somebody out there that is not necessarily going through an injury, but maybe a tough time. And hopefully, they can witness or see what I’ve tried to accomplish — and appreciate and be inspired by that.”

That approach has earned the praise of his head coach, Joe Mazzulla.

“I think one of his greatest strengths is just his vulnerability and openness and his understanding,” Mazzulla said pregame, acknowledging that he knew the game would bring about a ton of emotion.

“But I think once the game started, he kind of got into a game flow,” said the Celtics head coach as he reflected on the loss.

Tatum never looks for moral victories. He’s rarely cheerful after losses.

But, the circumstances surrounding Thursday’s contest were unique.

“Today was important for me, especially when I made the decision to come back and then made the decision to play today,” he said. “I’m glad I did. I feel a lot better today, even after the loss.”

Baylor Scheierman’s sixth 3-pointer against the New York Knicks on Thursday night brought the entire Boston Celtics bench to its feet. Jordan Walsh did the sharpshooter’s signature thumbs-up celebration, and Luka Garza bunny-hopped with excitement, watching him conquer Madison Square Garden.

Scheierman’s step-back three over Karl-Anthony Towns gave the Celtics a 104-103 lead with 2:19 remaining in the fourth quarter. To re-energize his team, he decided to bring back the celebration he debuted nearly six weeks ago against the Philadelphia 76ers. It sparked a thrilling final few minutes of regulation, but Boston ultimately fell 112-106, losing the regular-season series to New York (1-3).

The ability to remain prepared to deliver an impact at any moment is something Scheierman takes pride in.

“For me, every time my name’s called, I try to go out there and just play to the best of my ability,” Scheierman told reporters, per CLNS Media. “And that’s really all I can control. Obviously, I’d like to be out there, but at the end of the day, it’s not my decision. So every chance I get, I just try to make the most of it.”

Boston ruled Jaylen Brown out with left Achilles tendinitis hours before tip-off, adding weight on everyone’s shoulders to produce in his absence. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla bumped Walsh up into the starting lineup, while Scheierman played alongside Payton Pritchard and Nikola Vučević in the second rotation. Unconcerned with his role and focused on contributing, Scheierman scored a season-high 20 points — matching a career high he set last season against the Brooklyn Nets.

Scheierman shot a nearly-perfect 6-for-7 from beyond the arc and grabbed four rebounds. Four of those makes were to either go ahead or extend Boston’s lead over New York. Teammates spotted Scheierman’s high motor and eagerness to shoot, so they kept feeding him.

Derrick White assisted Scheierman to break an 83-83 tie in the fourth quarter, and Pritchard found him again more than seven minutes later to give the Celtics a 101-99 lead. Whenever a teammate attacked the basket, they knew once they looked up, Scheierman would be right there on the perimeter, hands ready, waiting to fire.

Scheierman’s six made 3-pointers also tied a career-high.

“I just have a lot of confidence in myself that I belong on the court, and my teammates trust me,” Scheierman said. “When I’m open, they find me, and I just knock it down.”

Scheierman is among a group of backups unaware when their number will be called. Walsh, Luka Garza, Hugo González, and Ron Harper Jr. are in that same boat. Before games, they’re the first out of the locker room and on the floor, working with the coaching staff by running drills and examining film. Last year, Scheierman logged 23 minutes over four appearances in the playoffs. He didn’t get a chance to do much, going scoreless twice and attempting 10 shots the entire postseason, but that uncertainty doesn’t rattle Scheierman.

Even though rotations typically shrink once the playoffs begin, Scheierman isn’t concerned about his role. He’s averaged 18 minutes per game, the most among the Walsh, Garza, González, and Harper group, and Mazzulla has followed through on his promise to shake up the rotations when the team needs a jolt. At Madison Square Garden on Thursday night, Scheierman didn’t start, but still delivered his most impactful performance of the season.

It’s hard to imagine Scheierman’s 3-point barrage goes overlooked, especially since the Knicks could cross paths with the Celtics in Round 2. Losing three times in the regular-season series should bolster the confidence in New York’s locker room and motivate Boston.

“I wish we could’ve won at the end of the day,” he said. “Obviously, it was a lot of fun to do that, but we lost, so it kind of just is what it is.”

The Celtics need a win on Friday night over the New Orleans Pelicans to lock in the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. New York delayed that, but if both teams advance out of the first round, a second-round series would send Boston back to Madison Square Garden for a best-of-seven. Scheierman is ready to embrace that challenge.

“Obviously, every time we face each other, it’s a great environment, a great atmosphere,” Scheierman said, thinking about a possible Celtics-Knicks playoff rematch. “That’s something you grow up wanting to be a part of. So if it happens, I’m sure it’ll be a great series.”

The Cleveland Cavaliers are all but locked into the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference with the New York Knicks win over the Boston Celtics on Thursday evening. For the Cavs to move up, they’d have to win both of their last two games, while New York would have to lose their final two games. As it stands, it seems like the Cavs will be in the fourth seed, which would likely give them an easier path through the Eastern Conference.

Because they’re basically locked into their preferred spot, there’s little downside in trying to keep momentum going with what they hope is another positive showing against the Atlanta Hawks — a possible first-round opponent.

This game means something for the Hawks. They’ve fallen to the sixth spot in the standings and could drop further if they were to lose this one as well.

The Cavs deployed several matchup-specific schemes against the Hawks on Wednesday. This included aggressively cheating off of Atlanta’s average to below-average three-point shooters and using James Harden to guard their opposing center. It’ll be interesting to see how both teams adjust to Wednesday’s game.

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Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (51-29) vs. Atlanta Hawks (45-35)

Where: State Farm Arena – Atlanta, GA

When: Fri. April 10 at 7 PM

TV: Prime Video

Point spread: Not yet set

Cavs injury report: Donovan Mitchell – OUT (ankle), Jarrett Allen – OUT (knee), Sam Merrill – OUT (hamstring), Jaylon Tyson – QUESTIONABLE (toe), Thomas Bryant – OUT (calf)

Hawks injury report: RayJ Dennis – QUESTIONABLE (G League), Keshon Gilbert – QUESTIONABLE (G League), Jock Landale – OUT (ankle)

Cavs expectedstarting lineup: James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

Hawks expected starting lineup: CJ McCollum, Nikeil Alexander-Walker, Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Onyeka Okongwu

Previous matchup: The Cavs defeated the Hawks on Wednesday 122-116

Here’s a look at both teams’ impact stats via Cleaning the Glass.