Shorthanded and on the second half of a back-to-back, the Raptors have their work cut out for them against the Hawks.
On the second night of back-to-back games and having to travel to Atlanta today, the cards are stacked against the Toronto Raptors tonight.
The Raptors and Atlanta Hawks will face each other for the final time this season, with Atlanta leading the season series 2-1 so far. Tying up the season series certainly won’t be easy, with the aforementioned travel and game last night, but also now due to injury management.
After being compared to NBA Hall of Famer Manu Ginobli last night, RJ Barrett will miss tonight’s game due to management of his left knee. The injury kept the Canadian wing out of the lineup for three games a few weeks ago, after which he also missed the second night of Toronto’s last set of back-to-back games managing the same knee.
Tonight’s Starting Five ⤵️
Presented by @StaplesCanada pic.twitter.com/MUrZ0PVjgB
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) February 23, 2024
Jordan Nwora slides in to replace Barrett after the bench wing led the Raptors in scoring with 24 points the last time these teams faced each other.
Nwora’s efforts in that game carried over into his next, where he put up 17 points against the Bulls. That hot streak, however, ended with those pair of games. The wing has not reach double digit points in a game since then, marking seven straight appearances with only single digit points.
With the team’s three-point prowess last night, Nwora will be expected to do the same. He shot 7/12 from three against the Hawks and Bulls, and only 1/6 since. He has big shoes to fill with Barrett out, though I wouldn’t expect Manu Ginobli comparisons with Jordan Nwora. We can only wait and see.
How To Watch:
Sportsnet at 7:30pm ET
Lineups:
Toronto: Immanuel Quickley, Gary Trent Jr., Jordan Nwora, Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl
Atlanta: Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, Saddiq Bey, Jalen Johnson, Clint Capela
Injuries:
Toronto: RJ Barrett (out – knee)
Atlanta: Kobe Bufkin (questionable – G-League Assignment), Trent Forrest (out – ineligible to play), Mouhamed Gueye (out – back), Onyeka Okongwu (out – toe)