Raptors put a lock on fourth straight playoff berth

DALLAS — There was never any doubt the Toronto Raptors would be in the playoffs, but it’s now official.

The story on this night in Big D was how Toronto led from start to finish, survived a scare in the fourth quarter and the Raptors are now heading for their fourth straight post-season appearance, with the opponent yet to be determined.

With Washington taking care of business in Cleveland against the suddenly defensive-poor Cavs, Toronto trails the Wizards by one full game in the Eastern Conference standings, but the Raptors do hold the tiebreaker.

It’s five wins in a row for the Raptors following their 94-86 triumph over the Mavericks, with a homestand against four winnable foes on tap.

Toronto never trailed, with Dallas coming as close as five points and outside of a few stretches the Raptors were very good, with DeMar DeRozan picking apart the Mavs’ defence when double teamed.

“No, not at all,” said head coach Dwane Casey when asked if he had any sense of satisfaction knowing his team is now assured of a post-season berth. “We want to make sure we’re trending in the right direction.

“That’s the most important thing right now.

“We’ll take it (playoff berth) and we don’t take it for granted. Our organization is still in that growing stage and there’s no shame in that, but we’ve got to make sure we’re trending in the right direction, don’t get satisfied and don’t relax.”

Barring a complete collapse, which doesn’t seem likely, the Raptors will open the first round at home.

Whether it was P.J. Tucker — who started at small forward for an ailing DeMarre Carroll — Jonas Valanciunas hurting his knee or a late-game sequence that saw Patrick Patterson and Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle get double technicals, there was no shortage of drama.

“I’m not going to let a guy unnecessarily taunt our bench,” said Carlisle. “That’s all there is to it.”