It’d be wrong if I didn’t start with this, right?
What a time. It’s not the same arena but the Toronto Raptors return to the Bay Area, the place where they became NBA champions for the first time in franchise history. Admittedly, this rematch of last year’s finalists has lost much of its gloss with Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant and Danny Green out of the picture, Klay Thompson out with injury, and possibly Draymond Green, Marc Gasol, Fred VanVleet and Serge Ibaka missing out as well. I would include Kevin Durant but he was unfortunately around for just over one quarter of play in the entire series.
The Golden State Warriors are currently a roster mostly consisting of “Who he play for?” candidates. Who’d a thought. The exceptions tonight might only be Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins. It’ll be pretty great to see one of the league’s best back in uniform, and the steady drip of stars returning to action from Zion Williamson to Victor Oladipo to Curry is something that should put all basketball fans in their happy place.
Speaking of being in a more pleasant state of mind, the early signs of Wiggins in a Warriors uniform are that leaving a toxic environment and a franchise that has been in the gutter for decades to join one that has established a champions’ etiquette can work wonders. Through nine games, the Vaughan, Ont., native has already had a 10-assist game, a five-steal game and a four-block game. While his average counting stats aren’t dissimilar from those he put up in Minnesota, the Warriors’ system is clearly challenging Wiggins to round out his game in a way that was never done during his time with the Wolves. Needless to say, how he fares alongside Curry to close out the season will go a long way in establishing what he could be for this team.
While Wiggins will look to continue proving himself to the Warriors organization, the Raptors’ Chris Boucher will be eager to show them they may have let go of a decent rotation piece. The 27-year-old has taken significant steps forward this season as far as his NBA career is concerned, now being given the freedom to play off his natural instincts rather than constantly worry about whether he’s executing defensive and offensive schemes to perfection. After trailing by as many as 17 points against the Phoenix Suns Tuesday night, Boucher played a vital role at centre after Nick Nurse initially went small with OG Anunoby as the centre and Patrick McCaw starting ahead of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. In fact, Boucher was so impressive in helping overhaul the deficit that he started the second half for McCaw and played over 25 straight minutes at one point. He finished the game with 19 points, 15 rebounds, two steals and a block and has certainly earned the right to start this game if Gasol and Ibaka are indeed unable to go. Call it the magic of a Nurse call-out pre-game or some rediscovered West coast magic, Boucher might even play himself into some playoff opportunities if he can consistently provide a spark like this.
That playoff opportunity is exactly what’s at stake tonight for the Raptors, with a win enough to clinch a playoff berth for a seventh straight season, something that can easily be taken for granted with all the success this franchise has experienced since Kyle Lowry took control of the wheel. After a 7-13 start to the 2013-14 season, Toronto has compiled a regular season record of 357-176 — a .670 winning clip — and a 37-38 post-season record that includes two trips to the conference finals, one Eastern Conference Championship and one Larry O.B. The franchise made five playoff appearances in its 18 previous years of existence, never once making it out of the second round.
Enjoy the moment, and have fun with it.
GAME INFO
Time: 10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT.
TV: TSN 1, 4. RDS 2. Radio: FAN 590.
RAPTORS UPDATES
Marc Gasol, Fred VanVleet and Serge Ibaka are all listed as questionable with the Spaniard being the only real upgrade. Ibaka did do some pre-game work so perhaps he’ll be ready to go in the newly minted Chase Center. As nice as it would be to have VanVleet back for Curry’s return, the fact that Rockford’s own has been nursing left shoulder soreness probably means he’s better off not trying to maneuver through screen after screen chasing around arguably the greatest shooter of all-time in his first game back.
PG: Kyle Lowry, Patrick McCaw
SG: Norman Powell, Terence Davis, Matt Thomas
SF: OG Anunoby, Stanley Johnson
PF: Pascal Siakam
C: Chris Boucher, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
GTD: Fred VanVleet, Serge Ibaka, Marc Gasol
OUT: Dewan Hernandez
WARRIORS UPDATES
Curry is back after a 58-game absence and Green is questionable with left knee soreness.
PG: Steph Curry, Mychal Mulder, Chasson Randle
SG: Damion Lee, Jordan Poole
SF: Andrew Wiggins, Dragan Bender
PF: Juan Toscano-Anderson, Eric Paschall
C: Marquese Chriss
GTD: Draymond Green
OUT: Klay Thompson, Kevon Looney
THE LINE
The Raptors are currently 10.5-point favourites with the over/under set at 225.
