Patrick Patterson left the Toronto Raptors game against the Boston Celtics with 7:07 remaining on Friday due to a left foot contusion and did not return.
The team later updated his status, calling the injury a sore left ankle. X-rays were negative and Patterson will be re-examined on Saturday, which is exactly how I’d want to spend a Saturday.
With the game well in hand in the closing moments, head coach Dwane Casey opted to play it safe, he told reporters. Patterson was having a solid game to that point, scoring seven points on 3-of-5 shooting with two rebounds and a block in 20 minutes. As has become the norm, he helped key some very strong defensive stretches for a bench-heavy unit, and the Raptors outscored Boston by 15 points in his 20 minutes.
Patterson has unexpectedly become one of the most valuable subs in the league, and while on-off numbers bring with them some issues, he’s playing historically well by those metrics, at least by Raptors standards. The team has been 13.5 points per-100 possessions better with him on the floor than off, with the gain coming at both ends of the floor. Part of that is feasting on bench units and playing big minutes with Kyle Lowry, but Patterson’s also developed into a really good defender, one capable of switching on a lot of actions and spotting in against multiple positions. The threat of his 3-point shot – 35.9 percent entering play Friday – also helps provide breathing room for the team’s drive attack, even if Patterson’s only averaging 6.7 points.
Yet to miss a game this year and with only one DNP a year ago, it would be odd to see Patterson in street clothes. I’m sure he’d be fresh to death, though.
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The Raptors also announced they have assigned Bruno Caboclo to Raptors 905 of the D-League.
Caboclo saw his first NBA action since Feb. 8 on Friday, coming in for about 90 seconds and making a pass. And that’s about it. He’s now played five minutes on the season and 29 in his career, so good thing for the D-League, right? He’s averaging 14.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, one steal, and 1.6 blocks in 33 games with the 905, hitting 34.1 percent of his threes.
The 905 host Erie for a 7 p.m. tip-off at the Hershey Centre on Saturday. The 905 then hit the road while the Raptors stay at home for a few more days, but I’d expect Caboclo to stay with the junior club for that trip.
