Coming off a brutal loss last night in Phoenix, the Raptors are playing their second game of a back-to-back, this time, agains the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. This game against an injured opponent should be a chance for the Raptors to stop a dangerous skid late in the season.
The Jazz have had a season of distinct highs and lows. They started the season by drafting a high value forward in Ace Bailey, saw point guard Keyonte George break out, and traded for former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren
Jackson Jr. At the same time, many of their starters have been ruled out for extended periods, since November when Walker Kessler was shut down, and have caught league-wide flack for a tanking scandal, with players getting benched in a manner that was perceived to be unethical. Indeed, Monday’s game will see Keyonte George, Isaiah Collier, and Lauri Markkanen still out, not to mention the host of previous injuries to JJJ and Jusuf Nurkic, amongst others.
As it currently stands, the Jazz are in poor shape to win games with most of their starting lineup out, so the Raptors can breathe relatively easily when they step into the Delta Center. The Raptors are playing with almost their entire roster intact, though Collin Murray-Boyles remains on the injury report, as he has been for nearly a month. This game should hopefully be a chance to bounce back after last night’s loss, which saw an extremely lacklustre offence combined with a total lack of production from some of the Raptors’ starters.
Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, and Brandon Ingram have been instrumental in getting the Raptors back on track with a three game winning streak, taking out the Pistons, Suns, and Bulls, before falling to the Denver Nuggets and the Phoenix Suns in consecutive games. Establishing a consistent offence will be important for this game against the Jazz, as well as ensuring that they’re able to slow down Ace Bailey and avoid him getting hot. The rookie has had two thirty point explosions over his last ten games, and keeping him subdued will be important in keeping the Jazz hitting sour notes. Brice Sensabaugh has been shooting threes at a 41.3% clip over the past ten games, meaning that Toronto’s perimeter defence needs to be on point to avoid an upset.
Considering the state of Utah basketball, it is unlikely for Toronto to drop this game. A soft opponent on the road is a luxury this late in the season, with the Eastern Conference looking as dangerous as it is. Toronto is unlikely to fall out of the Play-In Tournament, but are within only a few games of every opponent within the sixth to the tenth seed. 4.5 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers, and half a game behind both the Atlanta Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers, the Raptors are in serious danger of relinquishing their playoff spot to a rival if they don’t clean up their act and begin performing consistently.
Today’s game is likely to be another part of the same old story for the Raptors: lose to the best teams, but beat down the worst ones.
Game Information and Details
Game Time: 9:00 EDT
Watch On: SportsNet
Injury Report:
Toronto: Collin Murray-Boyles (Out – thumb), Chucky Hepburn (Day-To-Day – knee)
Jazz: Isaiah Collier (Out – hamstring), Lauri Markkanen (Out – hip), Keyonte George (Out – hamstring)
Projected Lineups
Toronto: Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl
Jazz: Ace Bailey, Cody Williams, Brice Sensabaugh, Kyle Filipowski, Kennedy Chandler
