The Toronto Raptors will take on the Houston Rockets on the second night of a back-to-back on Friday.
One night after a massive win over the Philadelphia 76ers, the Raptors will be right back at it as they continue to fight for seeding in the Eastern Conference.
Behind a 37-point triple-double from Pascal Siakam, the Raptors were able to beat the 76ers to give themselves a chance at passing Philly for the No. 4 seed to homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Where that part gets tricky is the Raptors have to win each of their final two games and they need the 76ers to lose both of their last two games, which are against the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers.
Unless Philadelphia somehow drops both of those games, the Raptors will be locked into the No. 5 seed.
It will all have to start with a win in Friday's contest against the Rockets, who have some scrappy young players who are coming along nicely as the season has gone on.
No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green had a slow start to his rookie season but he has been scorching hot lately, scoring 30-plus points in five straight games.
🚀 Another one!
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) April 6, 2022
🏀 5th straight 30 point game
🔥 @JalenGreen pic.twitter.com/z1EDsHPkgU
He's a walking highlight reel every time he steps on the floor, throwing down vicious dunks to go with lethal stepback 3-pointers.
The Raptors will have to contain Green if they're going to pick up the win and keep their hopes of the No. 4 seed alive.
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What channel is Raptors vs. Rockets on?
- TV channel (Canada): TSN 4/5
- TV channel (United States): AT&T SportsNet Southwest
In Canada, Raptors vs.Rockets will air on TSN 4/5. In the Rockets' local region, the game will air on AT&T SportsNet Southwest.
What time does Raptors vs. Rockets start?
- Date: Thursday, April 8
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET | 4:30 p.m. PT
Raptors vs. Rockets will tip off shortly after 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will be played at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
Raptors vs. Rockets injury report
Here is the injury report for Raptors vs. Rockets as of 2:30 p.m. ET on Friday, April 8. Toronto will be without OG Anunoby while Yuta Watanabe is listed as questionable. Head coach Nick Nurse initially said they are both targeting a Sunday return.
| Team | Player | Status | Reason |
| Raptors | Precious Achiuwa | Questionable | Injury/Illness – Right Knee; Contusion |
| OG Anunoby | Out | Injury/Illness – Right Quadriceps; Contusion | |
| Isaac Bonga | Questionable | Injury/Illness – Right Foot; Big toe – sprain | |
| Fred VanVleet | Out | Injury/Illness – Right Knee; Soreness – Injury management | |
| Yuta Watanabe | Questionable | Injury/Illness – Left Quadriceps; Soreness | |
| Rockets | Eric Gordon | Out | Injury/Illness – Right Groin; Soreness |
| Anthony Lamb | Out | G League – Two-Way | |
| Trevelin Queen | Out | G League – Two-Way | |
| Dennis Schroder | Out | Injury/Illness – Left Shoulder; Soreness | |
| Christian Wood | Out | Injury/Illness – Left Hamstring; Tightness |
Eastern Conference Standings
(Current through April 7 games)
| Seed | Team | Record | Games back |
| 1. | Heat | 52-28 | - |
| 2. | Bucks | 50-30 | 2 |
| 3. | Celtics | 50-31 | 2.5 |
| 4. | 76ers | 49-31 | 3 |
| 5. | Raptors | 47-33 | 5 |
| 6. | Bulls | 45-35 | 7 |
| 7. | Cavaliers | 43-37 | 9 |
| 8. | Nets | 42-38 | 10 |
| 9. | Hawks | 42-38 | 10 |
| 10. | Hornets | 41-39 | 11 |
*Seeds 7-10 will participate in the NBA's Play-In Tournament from April 12-15