The Toronto Raptors are heading into Wednesday night already leaning hard on depth, and the task in front of them is a brutal one: the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics are in town.
Toronto sits at 5-5, but the injury list is doing most of the talking. Scottie Barnes is set to miss a third straight game with a groin strain, while Kawhi Leonard remains out as he continues to recover from swelling in his left knee.
The Raptors also may be without starting point guard Immanuel Quickley, who is listed as questionable because of a hamstring issue. Forward Collin Murray-Boyles and centre Trayce Jackson-Davis are both uncertain as well after dealing with illnesses.
That short-handed reality was on display Monday night, when Quickley and Murray-Boyles joined Barnes on the bench in a 118-102 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
If Toronto is going to hang with Boston, it will need production from RJ Barrett, Jamal Shead, Ja’Kobe Walter and Jakob Poeltl to help fill the gaps left by all those absences.
The Celtics arrive rolling. They’re 9-2, riding a four-game win streak and have taken nine of their last 10 after opening the season with a loss to the Detroit Pistons.
Boston was sharp again Tuesday night, when veteran forward Paul George, 36, poured in 36 points on 14-for-22 shooting against his former team in a 123-101 win over LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers.
And the schedule only gets tougher from there for Toronto. After Wednesday’s game, the Raptors travel to face the 9-3 76ers in Philadelphia on Thursday, then return home for back-to-back games against the reigning NBA champion New York Knicks on Sunday and Tuesday.
In Other News...
Raptors Could Fix A Costly Roster Problem With One Bold Move
Reports around the league have put Naz Reid into the trade conversation, with the Charlotte Hornets said to be weighing whether moving him could bring more draft flexibility and clear minutes for other players. For Toronto, the idea is easy to understand. The Raptors have been searching for ways to sharpen a roster that still has obvious holes, and a versatile big like Reid would give them another option in the frontcourt while fitting the kind of lineup balance they have been trying to build.
Reids appeal for the Raptors goes beyond just adding size. He brings the kind of skill set that can help a team that wants more reliability around the rim without sacrificing mobility, and that makes him a natural fit for a club looking to address a costly roster problem. Nothing has been finalized, of course, but if Toronto is serious about improving the shape of its rotation, this is the sort of move that would make people around the team pay close attention. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Nurse Sounds Concerned About Joel Embiid For One Clear Reason
Joel Embiids latest scare against the Raptors was a reminder of how much changes when hes on the floor and how fragile that availability can be. Even with the knee issue that briefly took him out of the game, he came back later, which only added to the familiar tension around a player who can tilt a matchup when healthy but has long carried injury concerns with him.
Nick Nurse knows that reality better than most, and after seeing Embiid again in a game against Toronto, he pointed to the tricky balance of keeping him available while also managing the wear and tear that comes with his workload. The Raptors coach acknowledged Embiids desire to keep playing, even when rest might be the smarter answer, and that makes every appearance feel a little more uncertain for Toronto and everyone else trying to plan around him. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Loss Exposes A Bigger Problem Than This Skid
The Raptors latest loss to the 76ers, a 123-113 defeat in Philadelphia, fit the pattern of a team trying to stay afloat without two of its most important pieces. Kawhi Leonard and Scottie Barnes were both sidelined by injuries, which pushed RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley into bigger offensive roles and left Toronto leaning harder on its remaining creators. Even with those efforts, the game ended as the clubs third straight loss.
What stood out most was less the skid itself than how thin the margin looked once the rotation got stretched. Toronto had enough individual production to hang around, but Philadelphias deeper bench gave the Sixers a steadier flow over the course of the night, and the Raptors could not match it. For a team already dealing with injuries, the bigger concern is how quickly the supporting cast gets tested when the top options are unavailable. [Read more 🡒]