NBA playoffs seeding, Play-In Tournament and live updates: Schedule, standings

If you were not watching the game between the Toronto Raptors and the Brooklyn Nets tonight, A.) that’s understandable; and B.) congratulations, you have avoided a really strange fate. Of the eight games on the schedule, this was the only one that had no potential to impact playoff or Play-In seeding. It would have been weird if you tuned in unless you were, like, related to one of the players.

However, it ended up providing some drama for fans of the Raptors, who have been eliminated from playoff contention for quite some time. To explain why, we are going to have to go on a bit of a journey. Get comfortable.

• When the Raptors traded for Jakob Poeltl in February 2023, they traded a 2024 first-round pick that was protected through the first six selections (among other things and Khem Birch) to the San Antonio Spurs. If the pick is not transferred to the Spurs this year, the same protections exist in 2025 and 2026. If it does not convey by then, it turns into two second-round picks.
• The Raptors entered the game with a 25-54 record, the sixth-worst mark in the league. If they finish in that slot, they would have a 45.8 percent chance of keeping their pick following the draft lottery in May. The Memphis Grizzlies are the team ahead of the Raptors, at 27-53 after losing in Cleveland. They do not appear intent on winning against the Lakers on Friday or the Nuggets on Sunday, either.
• If the Raptors finish with the same or better record as the Grizzlies, the odds of keeping their pick — which, because of the weak draft, might not even be a good thing, depending on who you ask — would get worse. Basically, going 1-2 or 0-3 in their last three games would assure the Raptors of finishing with a worse record than Memphis. The Raptors finish the season with two games in Miami.
• The Raptors were playing without the injured Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl, Chris Boucher, Gary Trent Jr. and Bruce Brown. They also have kept RJ Barrett out of back-to-backs since suffering a knee injury earlier in the year, and rested Kelly Olynyk. The Nets, uninspiring as they might be, were playing something approaching their regular lineup.

And then a funny thing happened: The Raptors were not only hanging around, but up by a possession or two for much of the second half. Meanwhile, the Heat were getting smacked by the Mavericks, making it possible that they would have nothing to play for in the season finale on Sunday, as they could be locked into the eighth seed for the start of the Play-In Tournament. If the Raptors won in Brooklyn, they could have been in a scenario in which they were playing an unmotivated team on Sunday, with a win hurting their odds of keeping their pick. However, even if you rest a lot of players, it is not as if you can go out and tell the guys that are playing not to try to win. (Well, you can, but it would be weird.)

Immanuel Quickley made a 3 to give the Raptors a one-point lead with 50 seconds remaining, but ex-Raptor Dennis Schröder got…