The Toronto Raptors beat the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night, bringing them closer to their first playoff berth in six years.



Toronto will clinch a spot in the postseason with their next win or the next loss by the New York Knicks.



Once believed to be headed to the lottery, the Raptors have gone 33-19 since trading Rudy Gay.



“Not just the franchise, but the whole city of Toronto and Canada,” DeMar DeRozan said of how much making the playoffs would mean. “I’ve been here for five years, seen how passionate the fans are, it definitely means a lot. We feed off of that, especially playing at home and the energy they bring. That’d be great for the city.”



The Raptors drafted DeRozan with the ninth overall pick in 2009. He’s appeared in nearly 400 regular season games, but none late into April or May.



“After we play these games and I go through the whole experience then I feel I’ll really have an answer for you,” DeRozan said about the intensity of playing for a title. “It’s still new to me and I’m just trying to learn from the guys that have been in the playoffs, what it’s like leading up to it and how to get prepared.”



Kyle Lowry, who made the postseason with the Houston Rockets back in 2009, has tried to keep his more inexperienced teammates focused on handling their own business amid a race with the Brooklyn Nets for the Atlantic Division title.



“Before the game, I said we can take care of our business tonight,” Lowry said after recording 23 points, nine rebounds and four assists in the 99-90 win over Boston. “We can’t count on anybody else, but we can take care of our own business. I’m not going to lie though, I think everybody tonight is rooting for [the Kings to beat the Knicks] tonight.”



The victory also brought the Raptors into a tie with the Chicago Bulls for the third seed. This isn’t a team scratching and clawing to end their playoff drought, they have a good shot at hosting a first-round series.



“It’s been a long road coming and you just can’t settle for making the playoffs,” DeRozan said. “We want to go in there and make a name for ourselves and go in there and complete every single day. That’s not the goal, to get in there and play an extra four games and call it a day."