Raptors at Magic
With their first playoff appearance in six years officially locked in, the Toronto Raptors can now focus on where they'll end up in the Eastern Conference standings. The Atlantic Division-leading Raptors enjoy a 2 1/2-game edge over the Brooklyn Nets as they head to Orlando on Sunday evening for a date with the Magic. Toronto secured its first postseason berth since the 2007-08 season Friday night with a 105-103 triumph over the Boston Celtics.
Toronto's home-and-home sweep of the Celtics helped the club continue to fend off the hard-charging Nets, who have been one of the hottest teams in the league since the All-Star break, to set up an entertaining race for the division crown. The Magic have no such concerns, as they're left to jockey for position in the NBA draft lottery. That said, the Magic have played well of late, erasing a nine-game skid with home victories over Portland and Charlotte.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, SportsNet (Toronto), FSN Florida (Orlando)
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (41-31): Toronto has seen plenty of roster turnover in recent years, yet it was the two longest-standing members of the team played significant roles in Friday's playoff-clinching victory. Amir Johnson hit the game-winning shot versus the Celtics to secure his first taste of post-season action since 2009, when he was a 21-year-old with the Detroit Pistons. Team scoring leader DeMar DeRozan led the charge with 30 points and told reporters after the game: "Hopefully we can look back at this 25 years from now and show our kids that, hey, we did it."
ABOUT THE MAGIC (21-52): Nikola Vucevic is one of Orlando's top building blocks moving forward and showed some serious progress in the Magic's win over the Bobcats. The seven-footer racked up 24 points and 23 rebounds to dominate his matchup with Charlotte's Al Jefferson, one of the top centers in the NBA. Pekovic told the Orlando Sentinel after the game: "I started the game off kind of slow offensively, but I felt pretty good because I was able to rebound. I was pretty active defensively. I knew at some point I would turn it around and start making shots."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Toronto has won the previous six meetings, including the first two this season in Toronto.
2. DeRozan averages 16.8 points in 14 career games versus the Magic.
3. Vucevic has six career 20-point, 20-rebound games.