Raptors reach playoffs in regular-season finale

TORONTO – Scottie Barnes had a triple-double as the Toronto Raptors routed the Brooklyn Nets 136-101 on Sunday to clinch a playoff spot in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.

Barnes had 18 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists as Toronto (46-36) won its regular-season finale to sew up fifth in the East.

The Raptors win coupled with losses by the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks on Sunday jumped up to fifth in the standings and will face the No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs.

RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., led the Raptors with 26 points and Brandon Ingram added 25 points with nine rebounds.

Starting Toronto point guard Immanuel Quickley didn’t return to the court after intermission due to tightness in his right hamstring. He had four points, five assists and two rebounds in 17 minutes of play.

Chaney Johnson had a double-double off the bench with 16 points and 13 rebounds as Brooklyn (20-62) finished its season with three consecutive losses. E.J. Liddell had 17 points and Ben Saraf had 15 points.

Takeaways

Nets: Brooklyn’s season ended with a whimper as head coach Jordi Fernandez had to run a short bench with just nine players touching the court for most of the game. The Nets had 10 players on their injury report heading into Sunday’s finale.

Raptors: Needing a win to avoid the play-in tournament, all of Toronto’s players except Chucky Hepburn (right knee surgery) were made available. The Raptors had an excellent shooting night, going 51-for-81 (63 per cent) on field-goal attempts and 12-for-27 (44.4 per cent) on three-pointers.

Key moment

A.J. Lawson of Brampton, Ont., whose two-way contract was made into an NBA contract by Toronto earlier in the week, drained a 26-foot three-pointer with 4:58 left in the third quarter for a 19-point Raptors lead.

Key stat

Barnes’s triple-double was the third of his season and ninth of his career. He’s the first player in Raptors history to have three or more triple-doubles in multiple seasons.

Up next

Toronto will play Cleveland but the date of the first game of that series has not been announced.

Brooklyn, the Washington Wizards and the Indiana Pacers have the best odds of winning the first overall pick in the NBA’s Draft Lottery on May 10.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 12, 2026.

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