My apologies to those who watched the Raptors’ last outing. Better yet, things can only go up from there, right?
Coming off a season-worst 41-point loss at the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans, the short-handed Toronto Raptors embark on a four-game road trip that begins tonight in Phoenix.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams, and they both look remarkably different from last time.
None of Toronto’s starters from their Nov. 29 win over Phoenix at home will be in the Raptors’ lineup tonight. The only Raptors who participated in this game and could see the court tonight are Gary Trent Jr., Chris Boucher and Jalen McDaniels. I wouldn’t hold my breath seeing these last two, because even the fans chanting to see Boucher in action wasn’t enough to give them some playing time in the rout against the Pelicans.
Tonight the game will likely be better, even if the Raptors are still missing many players. Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl both underwent successful surgeries this week and will likely be out for the remainder of the season. Bruce Brown remains out with knee inflammation, along with Ochai Agbaji and Jalen McDaniels who are on the injury report today listed as questionable to play tonight.
Phoenix is dealing with injuries of its own, as point guard Devin Booker will miss his third straight game with an ankle injury. The Suns will also be lacking some depth in their rotation with Nassir Little, Damion Lee and Josh Okogie all also out.
Yet the Suns’ injury problems didn’t matter the other night against the Denver Nuggets when they beat the defending champions in overtime. Two-time Finals MVP Kevin Durant led the way with 35 points while Grayson Allen was hot, making his first eight three-point attempts of the night and finishing with 28 points.
With Scottie Barnes out, RJ Barrett likely finds himself in an unfavorable matchup trying to guard Durant, who is five inches taller than the Canadian winger.
Size will continue to be an issue throughout Toronto’s roster. Yes, their tallest player, Kelly Olynyk, is 6’11”, just an inch shorter than Phoenix center Jusuf Nurkic, but their playing styles are very different. Olynyk isn’t known as an interior defender, or even as an inside scorer elsewhere. The Canadian giant makes his money as a big player and playmaker from the elbow rather than hitting bodies downfield.
Nurkic is the exact opposite, as he is known for his interior defensive presence and scoring, while also having the ability to stretch the court. The Phoenix center fouled out while guarding Nikola Jokic in the aforementioned win over the Nuggets, but recorded 31 REBOUNDS against Oklahoma City last Sunday. This total tied Kevin Love in 2010 for the most rebounds in a single game since the start of the 21st century.
It will take a complete team effort to stop Durant and Bradley Beal’s incredible scoring, while also having to worry about Nurkic in the paint. The young Raptors, shorthanded, have their work cut out for them as they hope to get their road trip out West off to a good start.
Game Details
How to watch: 9:00 p.m. EST on Sportsnet
Compositions:
Toronto: Immanuel Quickley, Gary Trent Jr., Ochai Agbaji, RJ Barrett, Kelly Olynyk
Phoenix: Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale, Kevin Durant, Jusuf Nurkic
Injuries:
Toronto: Scottie Barnes (out – hand), Jakob Poeltl, (out – hand), Bruce Brown (out – knee), Ochai Agbaji (questionable – knee), DJ Carton (questionable – ankle), Jalen McDaniels (questionable – illness)
Phoenix: Devin Booker (outside – ankle), Damion Lee (outside – knee), Nassir Little (outside – knee), Josh Okogie (outside – abdominal)
