Raptors coach not focused on securing top seed in East
The Toronto Raptors are not focusing on the conference standings as they close out the regular season.
Raptors head coach Nick Nurse said Friday that while the team is focused on winning games, they’re not super concerned with the seedings.
Nurse reiterated the Raptors will not be chasing the 1st seed or 60 wins, at least not specifically: "We're gonna play this out and we're trying to win each night. Where we end up seeded we end up seeded."
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) March 22, 2019
The Raptors enter play on Friday two games behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the top spot in the East with 10 games remaining. Earning the top seed would be helpful because it would give them homecourt advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs, but even if they remain in the second spot, they would still have homecourt against everyone except the Bucks.
That’s probably a good attitude. The only thing the Raptors can control is their games, not Milwaukee’s. Nurse is also prioritizing rest for his team at this point in the season.
A case study in rest vs rust tonight. Raptors, who are virtually locked into a top-2 seed in the East, opted not to shoot around this AM, prioritizing rest once again. Thunder, who are battling for positioning in the West after losing 10 of 14, were on the court for over an hour.
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) March 22, 2019
