The In-Season Tournament is coming to an end, and for the final game of Eastern Conference Group C play, the Toronto Raptors are heading to the Big Apple to face the Brooklyn Nets with a chance to play spoiler despite already being eliminated from quarterfinal contention.
The Raptors are 1-2 in Group C Play which eliminates them from a chance at the quarterfinal round. However, the Nets sit at 2-1 and still have an outside chance at clinching a quarterfinal spot. They would need to win in any scenario, but would clinch Group C with a win and a Boston Celtics loss to the Chicago Bulls or a win with a high enough margin of victory to take the three-team tiebreaker if the Celtics win.
The Orlando Magic currently sit atop Group C and have the tiebreaker over the Celtics but not the Nets. The Nets could also clinch the wild card with a win and a New York Knicks loss, a Cleveland Cavaliers loss and a Miami Heat loss. This would only apply if the Nets finished second in the group.
So with all this at stake for the Nets, the Raptors are going to have a chance to play a meaningful game that counts both toward their regular season record as well as the chance to keep the Nets away from the next stage of the In-Season Tournament.
The Raptors are at full strength for the In-Season Tournament finale and are looking to start a new win streak after the Cavaliers ended their bid for their first three-game win streak of the season. The Nets, meanwhile, are without guard Cam Thomas, but have Cameron Johnson in the lineup after he left early in their victory over the Bulls.
The Raptors and Nets are two of the wing-heaviest teams in basketball, making this an intriguing matchup on the court. Scottie Barnes and Mikal Bridges should be the primetime matchup, but the two teams are built very similarly and could have fascinating battles at every position.
Toronto Raptors (8-9) vs. Brooklyn Nets (8-8)
7:30 p.m. ET, Tuesday, November 28, 2023
Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
TV: TSN
Projected Raptors Starting Lineup:
PG: Dennis Schroder
SG: OG Anunoby
SF: Scottie Barnes
PF: Pascal Siakam
C: Jakob Poeltl
Key Reserves: Gary Trent Jr., Malachi Flynn, Precious Achiuwa, Chris Boucher
Projected Nets Starting Lineup:
PG: Spencer Dinwiddie
SG: Cameron Johnson
SF: Mikal Bridges
PF: Dorian Finney-Smith
C: Nic Claxton
Key Reserves: Royce O’Neale, Lonnie Walker IV, Day’Ron Sharpe
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