The Toronto Raptors visit the San Antonio Spurs for an 8:30 tip-off on Sportsnet One. Let’s hit a bunch of points in rapid fire form because I literally just walked in the door after a long two days in the car. Let’s get this money.
History is on the line. The Spurs are 38-0 at home. That would seem to indicate the Raptors, on the second night of a back-to-back, have about as much chance as the rest of the NBA has had in San Antonio this year. Adding to that is the fact that…
All of the Spurs are available. Per Chris O’Leary of the Toronto Star, head coach Gregg Popovich will roll with a full squad as the team pushes toward perfection at home. Even the Spurs have to admit that would be cool, right?
But wait! Matt Bonner is sitting after all. (I mean, they had to have two players inactive, so Pop may not have been lying.)
The Raptors will not have a full squad. DeMarre Carroll remains out, Luis Scola is a game-time decision after missing two games with knee soreness, and given the long odds and the travel back-to-back, it stands to reason that someone might take a rest Saturday. Check back closer to tip off for confirmation. And even if rest is coming, the Raptors will have help, because…
Bruno Caboclo has been recalled from Raptors 905 of the D-League for the final time this season. The 905 wrapped their inaugural campaign last night, with Caboclo scoring 11 points with nine rebounds, three assists, a steal, and six blocks (!) in his final outing. In 37 games, he averaged 14.7 points on 40.3 percent shooting and 33.5 percent on threes, adding 6.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.8 blocks for good measure. He’s stick on 31 career NBA minutes.
KYLE LOWRY AND DEMAR DEROZAN ARE RESTING. Many are getting their wish here, with Lowry having had his elbow drained Monday only to turn around and play 40 minutes Wednesday and then 36 on Friday. He played better the last two games but is still mired in a shooting slump – 27.8 percent over his last six games, plus 67.4 percent at the line – and he ranks fourth in the NBA in total minutes played. There are plenty of reasons for him to ease up during the season’s final two weeks, and this game means next to nothing for the Raptors, anyway. DeRozan, meanwhile, is technically active but will also sit out to rest. He played 36 minutes on Friday and ranks sixth in the league on the year, while also ranking third in free-throw attempts (a rough proxy for contact) and third in miles traveled per-game on the offensive end of the floor – he’s a damn workhorse and deserves a night off.
Kudos to the Raptors for taking the longview here, nice as it’d be to be The One In Forty And One.
Check out Kiyan’s full game preview here, but here’s how the lineups should look:
PG: Cory Joseph, Delon Wright vs. Tony Parker, Patty Mills, Andre Miller
SG: Norman Powell, T.J. Ross vs. Danny Green, Manu Ginobili, Kevin Martin, Jonathon Simmons
SF: James Johnson, Caboclo vs. Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Anderson
PF: Scola, Jason Thompson, Patrick Patterson vs. LaMarcus Aldridge, David West, Boris Diaw
C: Jonas Valanciunas, Bismack Biyombo, Lucas Nogueira vs. Tim Duncan, Boban Marjanovic
Praying for two things here: All of the happiness in life for Boris Diaw, who brings me a ton of joy and to whom I’ll be toasting a glass tonight, and for some Nogueira-Marjanovic action.
The line suggests we’ll be updating this post with a note about rest shortly – the Spurs are 11.5-point favorites. (Yes, the line has moved to Spurs -12 with the news of Lowry and DeRozan, and 12.5 in some places. Do something else with your Saturday night.)
