Toronto Raptors vs. Portland Trail Blazers: Preview, TV Schedule, Injuries, and More

Visit to Banton and struggling Blazers presents an opportunity for another win

The Toronto Raptors will continue the second leg of their road trip, heading north to visit the Portland Trail Blazers. While the road trip didn’t start exactly how they would’ve wanted, this is an excellent opportunity for the Raptors to secure a win.

Of course, it’s still unclear whether the Raptors are trying to retain their pick or let it convey to San Antonio, but the effort from everyone, including season-best shooting from Gary and a career performance with 18 assists from Quickley on Thursday makes it seem like the objective is to win as many games as possible.

Portland is currently the fifth-worst team in the league, boasting a 17-45 record. Amid a rather tumultuous rebuild, they’ve collected some assets and strong players in Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe, and Deandre Ayton, but continued injuries plaguing the roster make it hard to get a read on what the future of the team will look like.

Prior to the trade deadline, they acquired a familiar face, Dalano Banton, who has fit well with the team and had several stellar performances, carving himself a niche. His most recent game was a 30-8-5 performance against Houston last night. With the injury report still in flux, it’s still unclear who Toronto will have to face in the matchup.

Toronto has dropped 4 of the last 5, but all of the losses came against teams above 0.500, with the lone win coming against a weaker Charlotte team.

The Raptors also have a rest advantage, with the Blazers taking a tough loss against the Rockets last night. Toronto has also been riddled with injuries, but in the Absence of Scottie Barnes, RJ, IQ, and Gary have all stepped up and contributed effectively. Now, in a matchup against a weaker team, the Raptors have a great chance to return to the win column.

The only game these teams have played this year dates back to October 30, and while Toronto fell in that game, it’s impossible to assume that contest will look even remotely similar. For Portland, 4 of the 5 starters in that game likely won’t play tonight, and for Toronto three of the starters aren’t on the roster any more and the other two appear on the injury report for the night.

So, while this game will look substantially different, it’s not hard to establish what Toronto needs to do to be successful. The most important component will be dominating the paint, contributions from the next men up.

Portland gives up almost 55 points in the paint per game. With Ayton injured, the issue compounds, leaving the door open for Toronto to take advantage. With the excellent passing from IQ, RJ, Gary, and Kelly lately, it would be nice to see how those guys can get it going.

Ochai has shown to be a great cutter, and RJ and Gradey have been playing effectively off the ball as well. Since Portland struggles protecting the paint, I’d love for the Raptors to continue to work on their ball movement and cutting plays.

With the laundry list of injuries the Raptors have coming into this game, there will be more minutes for people who haven’t seen much of the floor.

Nwora has had some great performances, but has also struggled recently, Chris Boucher hasn’t had much playing time at all, and the G-League guys have had a bit of difficulty since converting as well.

Tonight, against a weaker opponent is a great opportunity for these guys to get going too, and I would expect some hustle play from those guys who are still looking to solidify their role for the last 20 or so games of the season.

How to Watch:

TSN, at 10:00 pm ET

Likely Lineups:

Toronto: Immanuel Quickley, Gary Trent Jr., RJ Barrett, Ochai Agbaji, Kelly Olynyk

Portland: Anfernee Simons, Duop Reath, Dalano Banton, Kris Murray, Jerami Grant

Injuries:

Toronto: Scottie Barnes (Out; Left hand fracture), Bruce Brown (Out; Right knee inflammation), D.J. Carton (Out; Right ankle sprain), Mouhamadou Gueye (Out; G-league two-way), Jakob Poeltl (Out; Left hand torn ligament),

Portland: Robert Williams III (Out; Right knee ligament tear), Malcolm Brogdon (Out; Right elbow tendonitis), Shaedon Sharpe (Out; Abdominal surgery), Scoot Henderson (Doubtful; Left adductor strain), Deandre Ayton (Doubtful; Right hand strain), Jabari Walker (Questionable; Right hip contusion)