Finally back on the winning side of the ledger, the Toronto Raptors look to regain their spot as No. 2 in the Eastern Conference when they visit the Boston Celtics on the second night of a back-to-back Wednesday. No game with the try-hards would be easy, anyway, but considering the Raptors went to overtime and tasked their lone healthy All-Star with 45 minutes just 24 hours ago, it stands to reason they’ll be pretty gassed for this one. No excuses, though, because they’ve squandered a multi-game lead in second place and now find themselves in need of a win if they’re going to get head coach Dwane Casey to the All-Star Game.
The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. on Sportsnet One and TSN 1050. You can check out the full game preview here. There’s some good stuff in there from Michael Pina, a frequent hand-lender around these parts, so check that out and give him a follow for some Celtics perspective.
Raptors updates
DeMar DeRozan will sit for the fifth time in six games due to a sore right ankle that flared up after his Sunday return, leaving Norman Powell to continue his takeover of the NBA. It’s become increasingly more glaring that Powell, long a candidate for more minutes, is one of this team’s best two-way players, and DeRozan’s eventual return is going to be cause for a shakeup elsewhere in the rotation to ensure Powell is still a predominant piece. He good.
Outside of DeRozan and the assigned Bruno Caboclo, everyone is expected to be available, but don’t be shocked if the Raptors use this game as a chance to rest some players. Resting guys against a conference rival in a potential season-series clincher might rub some the wrong way, and Casey wants the All-Star nod, but the Raptors are in the midst of a 5-games-in-7-days stretch and are in tough here anyway. It’d be tough to accept an L in Boston, but with the depth mostly restored and Kyle Lowry ranking second in the NBA in total minutes, would it really be so bad if they punted one and got the youth a little more high-stakes burn? Check back before tip-off to see if anyone rests.
Non-Update: Everyone is apparently available except DeRozan/Caboclo.
Oh, and I think the starting power forward discussion is probably done for a while. I think the backup spot will remain fluid between Pascal Siakam, Jared Sullinger, smaller lineups, and a tighter eight-man rotation, but Casey seems happy with Patterson in the spot for now.
PG: Kyle Lowry, Cory Joseph, Fred VanVleet
SG: Norman Powell, Terrence Ross, Delon Wright
SF: DeMarre Carroll
PF: Patrick Patterson, Jared Sullinger, Pascal Siakam
C: Jonas Valanciunas, Lucas Nogueira, Jakob Poeltl
TBD: None
ASSIGNED: Bruno Caboclo
OUT: DeMar DeRozan
Celtics updates
As Michael and I discussed in the pre-game, it seems this matchup/rivalry/bloodfeud is destined to be played out shorthanded. DeRozan will sit, and Avery Bradley will miss an eighth consecutive game due to an Achilles injury. Bradley was hoping to play here after a full practice Tuesday, but as suggested in the pre-game, DeRozan’s absence may have made it easier for the Celtics to stomach one more game without him in the name of caution. This will mean Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, DeMarre Carroll, and DeMar DeRozan have now all missed at least one of the three meetings between the teams, and we’re yet to see the full starting lineups head-to-head.
Amir Johnson draws back into the starting lineup for Jonas Jerebko, by the way, so if the Raptors go small, expect it to be in the second unit toward the end of the first and third, and not out of the gate. Some additional insight here from Jay King:
Stevens said Amir Johnson sliding back into the starting lineup is for his size, and to keep Olynyk-Jerebko against small TOR bench units.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) February 1, 2017
Oh, and Kelly Olynyk (shoulder strain) is out, too, per our man Eric Koreen. Apparently, he was a late scratch, as Stevens was speaking about him in pre-game availability, per King.
PG: Isaiah Thomas, Terry Rozier
SG: Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart
SF: Jae Crowder, Gerald Green, James Young
PF: Amir Johnson, Jonas Jerebko, Jordan Mickey
C: Al Horford, Tyler Zeller
Assigned: Demetrius Jackson
TBD: None
Out: Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk
Assorted
- A few people have asked: Feb. 5 is the cut-off date for coaching the All-Star Game. If the Raptors are in second after next Sunday, Dwane Casey gets the nod. They enter this game a half-game behind Boston for that spot, so Wednesday’s game could potentially determine the coach of the East All-Stars (Ty Lue is ineligible because he coached last year).
- Bruno Caboclo remains with Raptors 950 following yet another victory last night. I caught up on the game this morning, and it was one of Caboclo’s best performances yet. The offense has plateaued at times this year, but he’s taken tremendous strides as a defender. It sure would be nice if his 3-point shot – really the only useful tool in his offensive arsenal at this point in time – would come back.
- This piece from Kevin Pelton over at ESPN might help ease some concerns about the team’s bad January. While the January swoon is obviously bad, Pelton’s research suggests that the combination of Toronto’s strong play in 2016 and their strong net rating on the season still portend a bounce-back. He projects the Raptors for a .628 winning percentage from here, tops in the East and a rate that would see them finish 51-31. (Hey, that was my preseason prediction!) These things are never perfect, but if you wanted some reason for hope of a turnaround, there you go.
The line
The game was off the board even into the late morning today, which isn’t unusual for a back-to-back. The market was likely digesting the Raptors’ heavy workloads from last night and waiting on Avery Bradley’s status. Even with Bradley down, the Celtics are 6-point favorites, suggesting that even without home-court advantage they’d be favored here (and it’d be close to a push in Toronto). Boston’s definitely been playing better than Toronto of late, and the Raptors come in tired, but I had the line down as an expected 4.5-point spread, so I’m a little surprised. Not outraged, though, because it’s possible I’m mediocre at guessing lines. The over-under is at 214.5. We’ll hold off on a prediction until we see if anyone’s resting.
