Whoever plays against Toronto in the opening round of the playoffs or beyond may face some issues with regard to COVID eligibility.
The Canadian city implemented a rule change on January 15 which made traveling unvaccinated players ineligible to play.
Per a report from Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Matisse Thybulle is expected to be ineligible to play games in Toronto because of his vaccination status. The two teams play each other on Thursday night (Danny Green will likely start in Thybulle’s place in the matchup).
The Sixers are currently slotted in the No. 4 seed with the Raptors owning the No. 5 seed.
Boston could have similar issues should they fall down to the No. 4 spot, as reports indicate that the franchise has two “frontline players” who are not vaccinated.
Toronto has three remaining games and is essentially locked into the No. 5 seed, so depending on how the two-through-four seeds in the conference shake out, the franchise could see a slight advantage from a player personnel standpoint. Oddsmakers at PointsBet place the Raptors at +4500 to win the Eastern Conference.
Read More on the Sixers
Special Offer From PointsBet
- Offer: Two risk-free bets up to $2,000
- States: New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Iowa
- Promo code: MVPBET (T&C Apply)
Special Offer From Fubo Sportsbook
- Offer: One risk-free bet up to $1,000 + one month of free FuboTV.
- States: Arizona, Iowa
- Promo code: MVPBET(T&C Apply).
