(Philadelphia) The Toronto Raptors could be without guard Gary Trent Jr. as well as forwards Scottie Barnes and Thaddeus Young in Game 2 of their first-round series against the 76ers of Philadelphia.
Updated yesterday at 5:01 p.m.
Barnes (ankle) and Young (thumb) suffered injuries in Saturday’s encounter, which the 76ers easily won 131-111. For his part, Trent Jr. is struggling with an illness that is not related to COVID-19.
Head coach Nick Nurse said all three players are questionable for Monday night’s game.
“Look, it’s not looking good for these guys,” Nurse told reporters on Sunday. For all three, their presence will likely be considered dubious. We will assess the situation as we go and see where it takes us. »
Barnes, a rookie of the year contender, was having a great first playoff game. He had 15 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists before the center of 76ers Joel Embiid, a 280-pound colossus, stepped on one foot with about nine minutes left in regulation time.
Barnes suffered a sprained left ankle on that streak. Young left the game after injuring his thumb in the second quarter.
For his part, Trent Jr. had a difficult evening on Saturday, being limited to nine points in 26 minutes of play.
“You have to give him credit for being on the field and for giving an effort last night. Because he was struggling, as you all saw, Nurse expressed of Trent Jr. I’ll give him credit, but we’ll see where we get to him from there. »
Star point guard Fred VanVleet, who has missed 11 of the Raptors’ last 24 games with a knee injury, said injuries and adversity are nothing new for Torontonians.
“We’ve been playing without some players all year. Obviously, at this time of the year, you would like to have all your best players, but we will see who will be available on the morning of the match and who will not. Afterwards, everyone will have to raise their game a notch,” argued VanVleet.
VanVleet said the team has responded to adversity all year and will have to do it again despite the absences on Monday night.
The Raptors seemed overwhelmed by the 76ers in Game 1 and VanVleet admitted the team was “a little soft and a little slow” in the first game on the road, which he attributes to the Torontonians’ inexperienced roster.
“We are a young team, let’s not forget that. I know we played well and had a good streak towards the end of the year, but it was a good wake-up call for a lot of guys,” said VanVleet, who had 18 points and six assists in the first game.
The Raptors will host Games 3 and 4 on Wednesday and Saturday respectively.