BUENA VISTA LAKE, Florida (AP) – Kyle Lowry sprained his left ankle, the Toronto Raptors announced.
They did not disclose a timetable for his return. But when the Eastern Conference semifinals blow against Boston, they want Lowry on the floor.
The point guard is their veteran leader, the guy who means a lot more to them than the stats could ever show. Beating Brooklyn minata without him was easy. Overcoming the Celtics if he were sidelined wouldn’t be.
But it would be foolish to count the Raptors. Kawhi Leonard’s defeat last summer didn’t destroy them, and playing without Lowry wouldn’t have done it either.
“You have to go out there with those who are sane and available and you have to think that there is a good chance you can find a way to win,” said coach Nick Nurse. “And that’s what we’ll do either way.”
That’s what the Raptors have been doing all season. Not only did they lose the NBA Finals MVP when Leonard left, but they also lost at least 10 games due to injury to each of the top five scorers.
So their reserves are used to counting, and when Lowry got injured in the first quarter on Sunday and Fred VanVleet caught three fouls in the first half, they hit the game in record fashion. The Toronto bench has scored 100 points, the most in any game since the official starters began to be followed in 1970-71 and finished a sweep of the Nets with a 150-122 win.
The Celtics also wiped out the first-round streak, so the start of the east semifinals was moved to Thursday. This gives Lowry a few days to get ready and the nurse said if he’s not, it won’t be due to a minor injury.
“I mean, he played with I don’t know how many, 14 or 16 consecutive playoff games last year with his left thumb completely messed up when we were running the finals last year, so it’s going to take something pretty serious to keep him out.” , the nurse said.
The nurse said Lowry’s foot injury was after the game, but the Raptors announced Monday that Lowry had been diagnosed with a sprained left ankle. They said his conditions would be updated as appropriate.
The Raptors are 11-1 since the NBA resumed, with the only loss for the Celtics. Boston also won in Toronto at Christmas, with the Raptors avenging that defeat on the street three days later.
Now the No. 2 and 3 meet again in the playoffs, with the Raptors hoping that Lowry is ready for a confrontation with Kemba Walker.
“I think it’s going to be a fun series and I’m a little depressed that we’re not going to have fans, that intensity at TD Garden and that our fans will bring to Scotiabank,” said Norman Powell, reserve of the Raptors.
“I think it’s an added element that we will miss, but we have two teams that are very deep, very talented and will want us all on our side to pull this out and come in and do what we need to do.”
