NBA

Raptors eliminated from In-Season Tournament: What's next for Toronto after Group Play losses?

Author Photo
Scottie Barnes
(NBAE via Getty Images)

While the NBA's In-Season Tournament began on Nov. 3, the Raptors were the final team to get in on the action when they hosted the Celtics on Friday, Nov. 17.

Group Play of the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament runs throughout the month of November, with tournament games played every Tuesday and Friday, the lone exception being Tuesday, Nov. 7. Because the Raptors are the final team to get tournament play started, they will play each of their four Group Play games in a span of 12 days.

Teams that advance past Group Play will earn a spot in the Quarterfinals, which are played in home arenas on Dec. 4 and 5. The Semifinals and In-Season Tournament Championship will be played on Dec. 7 and 9 in Las Vegas.

While the Raptors were one of the last to begin tournament play, they were one of the first teams to be eliminated. What's next for Toronto now that Vegas is no longer in the cards? Here's a breakdown of what things will look like moving forward.

MORE: NBA In-Season Tournament standings, results, schedule

Raptors In-Season Tournament group, standings and schedule

As part of the In-Season Tournament structure, each conference has three groups of five teams. The Raptors are in East Group C along with the Celtics, Nets, Bulls and Magic.

Eight teams will advance from Group Play to the Knockout Rounds, which begin on Dec. 4. All six group winners will automatically advance along with two wild card teams, which will be the team from each conference with the best record in Group Play that finished second in its respective group.

Take a look at where each team currently stands as well as Toronto's upcoming schedule of In-Season Tournament matchups. In the tournament, point differential is important as it could determine which team advances as a wild card.

East: Group C standings

Toronto has been eliminated from In-Season Tournament contention.

After losing their In-Season Tournament games to the Celtics and Magic, the Raptors were officially eliminated after the Magic defeated the Celtics on Friday, Nov. 24.

  Team Record Diff.
1. Magic 3-1 +22
2. Celtics 2-1 0
3. Nets 2-1 +8
4. Raptors 1-2 -9
5. Bulls 0-3 -21

What's next for the Raptors after In-Season Tournament elimination?

Because Toronto will not advance to the Knockout Round, it will have two games added to its schedule in order to have 82 games for the year. The opponents, which have yet to be determined, will be from the pool of Eastern Conference teams that were also eliminated.

Games will be played the week of Dec. 3 and will be scheduled around the Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Finals.

Raptors In-Season Tournament schedule, results

Date Opponent/Result Time (ET) TV channel
Friday, Nov. 17 Celtics 108, Raptors 105
Tuesday, Nov. 21 Magic 126, Raptors 107
Friday, Nov. 24 Raptors 121, Bulls 108
Tuesday, Nov. 28 at Nets 7:30 p.m. Sportsnet

NBA In-Season Tournament schedule

  • Group stage start date: Nov. 3
  • Group stage end date: Nov. 28
  • Quarterfinals: Dec. 4-5
  • Semifinals: Dec. 7
  • Championship: Dec. 9

Monday, Dec. 4 (Quarterfinals)

Game Time (ET)
TBD vs TBD 7 or 7:30 p.m.
TBD vs TBD 9:30 or 10 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 5 (Quarterfinals)

Game Time (ET)
TBD vs TBD 7 or 7:30 p.m.
TBD vs TBD 9:30 or 10 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 7 (Semifinals)

Game Time (ET)
TBD vs TBD 5 p.m.
TBD vs TBD 9 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 9 (Championship)

Game Time (ET)
TBD vs TBD 8:30 p.m.

MORE: Why NBA teams have different court designs for In-Season Tournament

Raptors In-Season Tournament court, uniforms

The In-Season Tournament has a different look and feel to it, and that's largely because each team is playing on a court tailor-made for the occasion.

The Raptors' In-Season Tournament court is inspired by the franchise's partnership with Global Ambassador and Grammy Award-winning artist Drake and his brand, October's Very Own (OVO).

For Toronto's two In-Season Tournament home games, they will wear their new "City Edition" uniforms, gold OVO-inspired threads with subtle jagged pinstripes that are also featured on Toronto's black "Statement Edition" set.

The Raptors will don their traditional white threads for road tournament games against the Magic and Nets.

Author(s)
Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor is an NBA content producer for The Sporting News.