Here’s a fun coincidence to kick off this preview. The Trail Blazers (19-26, 10th in West) and Raptors (22-21, 8th in East) are both coming off 109-105 road victories on Friday where double digit leads were squandered in the fourth quarter. The Raps eventually recovered to win in Washington, while the Blazers completed a comeback down 11 with five minutes remaining at Boston.

Another game in Toronto, another former beloved either not playing or returning to an empty gym. In this case, it’s Norman Powell who’s out for personal reasons. Norm is in the first year of a five year, $90 million contract and is averaging 18.6 points on nearly 40 percent shooting behind the arc. Add Powell to the “I owe U” list of player tribute and standing ovations that Raptors fans are waiting to give.

The Blazers have someone that can give the Raps fits on the boards in Jusuf Nurkic. He’s coming off a 29 point, 17 rebound, six assist game in Boston and is averaging over 13 boards a game this month. CJ McCollum has returned from his scary collapsed lung situation that sidelined him for 18 games. He’s averaging 21 points in three games since.

Player to Watch For

Along with the two I mentioned above, look out for Anfernee Simons. Named after Penny Hardaway, Simons has taken full advantage of the extra minutes that Damian Lillard’s absence has provided. Don’t expect Dame to come back anytime soon either, especially if Portland isn’t in the playoff conversation. Simons is averaging 25.7 ppg in nine games this month, good for 10th league wide. That’s one spot above Fred VanVleet (25.4) who we all know has been on a all-star tear. Simons in Fred-like fashion is also making nearly five threes a game in January. He’s only 22 years old. The Blazers got a steal at 24th overall in the 2018 draft.

One Wish

I would like to see Fred break his seven game streak of not shooting at least 50 percent from the field (34.3% during this stretch). He’s obviously got a lot on his plate having to play 40 minutes most nights, but another efficient explosion or two wouldn’t hurt to solidify some coaches votes over the next couple of weeks. Despite the shooting dip, he’s still averaging 22.1 points and 7.7 assists over those seven contests. VanVleet also tends to make them when they matter too, which we just witnessed on Friday.

#FredVanVleet #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/feScjxZHDn
— Raptors Republic (@raptorsrepublic) January 22, 2022

Game Info

Tip-Off: 6pm EST | TV: Sportsnet | Radio: TSN 1050

Toronto Raptors Results, Lineups & Injuries

Previous Results

@ Wizards W 109-105

@ Mavericks L 102-98

@ Heat L 104-99

@ Bucks W 103-96

@ Pistons L 103-87

Probable Lineup

PF: P. Siakam, C. Boucher, P. Achiuwa

SF: O. Anunoby, Y. Watanabe, J. Champagnie

C: S. Barnes

PG: G. Trent Jr., M. Flynn

SG: F. VanVleet, S. Mykhailiuk

Injuries

David Johnson, PG – Out

Khem Birch, C – Out moreBirch is expected to be out for 10-14 days after recently undergoing nose surgery, Blake Murphy of The Athletic reports.

Goran Dragic, PG – Out moreDragic (personal) remains out for Monday’s game in Miami, Blake Murphy of The Athletic reports.

Portland Trail Blazers Results, Lineups & Injuries

Previous Results

@ Celtics W 109-105

@ Heat L 104-92

@ Magic W 98-88

@ Wizards W 115-110

@ Nuggets L 140-108

Probable Lineup

PF: R. Covington, T. Watford, G. Brown III

SF: N. Little, T. Snell

C: J. Nurkic

PG: A. Simons, D. Smith Jr.

SG: C. McCollum, B. McLemore, C. Elleby

Injuries

Larry Nance Jr., PF – Out moreNance (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Raptors, Casey Holdahl of the Trail Blazers’ official site reports.

Cody Zeller, C – Out moreZeller (knee) is out Sunday against the Raptors, Casey Holdahl of the Trail Blazers’ official site reports.

Dennis Smith Jr., PG – Day-To-Day moreSmith (ankle) is probable for Sunday’s game against Toronto, Casey Holdahl of the Trail Blazers’ official site reports.

Nassir Little, SF – Day-To-Day

Norman Powell, SF – Out morePowell (personal) is out Sunday against the Raptors, Casey Holdahl of the Trail Blazers’ official site reports.

Damian Lillard, PG – Out moreThe Trail Blazers announced that Lillard underwent surgery Thursday in Philadelphia to repair a core injury causing chronic abdominal pain. The team plans to re-evaluate him in six weeks.