As Pelicans visit, Raptors must stack wins to guarantee top-six playoff spot

The Toronto Raptors will play beyond the regular season for the first time since 2022.

That is all they know for certain. They could finish anywhere from fifth to 10th in the Eastern Conference, so every game -- beginning with the one against the visiting New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night -- is important to their seeding.

The Raptors (40-32) enter action Friday holding the sixth and final guaranteed playoff spot and are just a half-game behind the fifth-place Atlanta Hawks. Finishing...