If the Toronto Raptors want to make the NBA playoffs, they must win their final games, starting with Sunday’s away game against the Charlotte Hornets. The game will start at 1:00 p.m. ET from the Spectrum Center.
Latest news on Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet for Sunday’ game
Before their most recent losses, both teams had won their previous three games in a row. Even though both teams are in last place in their divisions in the Eastern Conference, the Raptors are in ninth place in the conference with five games left to play. They are four games ahead of the 11th-place Washington Wizards, putting them at 38-39 and ninth in the conference.
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The Raptors
The Toronto Raptors only need to win one more game to make it into the playoffs. The Hornets, on the other hand, are 26-52 and don’t have enough points to get into the playoffs.
Toronto will need to stay focused if they want to get a play-in spot and build momentum before the tournament.
On Friday night in Philadelphia, the Raptors were defeated to 76ers 117-110.
Pascal Siakam played 42 minutes in Friday’s loss and scored 14 points (5-15 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 3-4 FT), had 4 rebounds, and gave out 7 assists.
Siakam’s scoring was all over the place in March, in part because he wasn’t very good at making three-point shots (25.9 percent). Still, he has a high ceiling because he can fill up the stat sheet. He had an average of 19.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 5.7 assists over the course of the month.
This season, Pascal Siakam has scored the most points for Toronto. In addition to his 24.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game, he shoots 47.6 percent from the field.
Fred VanVleet (19.7 PPG and 7.0 APG), O.G. Anunoby (16.9 PPG and 5.1 RPG), and Scottie Barnes (15.5 PPG, 6.8 RPG, and 4.8 APG) are some other Raptors to keep an eye on.
VanVleet scored 19 points (5-17 FG, 3-10 3Pt, 6-7 FT) in 42 minutes of Friday’s 117-110 loss to Philadelphia. He had five rebounds, six assists, and one steal.
VanVleet only made 29.4% of his shots from the field, but he still scored more points than anyone else on his team except Scottie Barnes, who scored 29. VanVleet also turned the ball over six times, which was his worst score of the 2022-23 season.
For injury, Gary Trent Jr. (Back), Dalano Banton (Thumb) and Will Barton (Ankle) are questionable while Otto Porter Jr. (Foot) is out for the season.
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The Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets lost to the Bulls on Friday. Charlotte was embarrassed in front of its home fans, who had been hoping for a good way to end the season.
The number of Hornets players who are hurt has grown. P.J. Washington, who has a sprained right foot, has joined LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, Kelly Oubre Jr., Gordon Hayward, and Dennis Smith Jr. on that list.
In January, the Raptors and the Hornets played two games in Toronto, one day apart. Both times, it was the Raptors who won. Pascal Siakam scored the most points for Toronto in both games, with 28 and 35 points, respectively.
As Rozier (33) and Ball (32) were the Hornets’ top scorers in those games are out, the team will need to find replacements.
