Raptors at Kings
The Toronto Raptors have clinched a playoff berth and can sew up a winning road trip with a victory Sunday at the Sacramento Kings. After dropping the opener of the five-game swing, the Raptors knocked off Phoenix and Golden State to ensure a seventh consecutive postseason appearance, overcoming the much-hyped return of Warriors superstar Steph Curry on Thursday night.
"I think that it was a high energy building tonight and they were playing well," Toronto coach Nick Nurse told reporters. "I expected it to be a really close game tonight and there were no illusions in my mind that it wouldn't be." Norman Powell scored a career-high 37 points in the rematch of last year's NBA Finals as Toronto improved to 8-3 on the road against Western Conference teams. The Kings continued their push toward a potential playoff spot in the West with a 123-111 victory at Portland on Saturday, improving to 7-2 since the All-Star break. Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 27 points while making 7-of-11 from 3-point range and Sacramento tied its franchise record with 21 triples to stay within 3 1/2 games of eighth-place Memphis.
TIME: 9 p.m. ET. TV: NBA TV, NBCS California, Sportsnet One
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (44-18): Powell was 13-of-21 from the floor in Thursday's win and he is averaging 27.3 points in four games since returning from a hand injury, and the team is getting more and more comfortable allowing the 26-year-old guard to take over on the offensive end. "In that little stretch where we really got it going, almost all of that stuff was set-pieces," Nurse told reporters of Powell. "We kinda feel him going and we start running some stuff where we can turn hard and get into the paint, then we ran some plays for threes, and he was in that mode where you would be silly not to give him an action or a play to let him touch it at least." Powell's hot stretch has coincided with the absence of fellow guard Fred VanVleet, who could return from a shoulder injury Sunday.
ABOUT THE KINGS (28-35): Buddy Hield finished with 22 points, Harrison Barnes added 20 and they combined to make 11-of-16 from long range to join in the fun from outside at Portland. Sacramento also received a boost inside with the return of center Richaun Holmes, who had 10 points and eight rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench after missing the previous 25 games recovering from a torn labrum. "Excited. It's always hard when you can't play the game you love, that you put so much work in to play every day," Holmes told NBC Sports California of his return.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Raptors C Serge Ibaka had 13 points and 13 rebounds Thursday in his return from a knee injury that caused him to miss three games.
2. Kings PG De'Aaron Fox has 18 assists against two turnovers over his last two games.
3. Toronto won the first matchup 124-120 at home despite 20 made 3-pointers by Sacramento.