The Portland Trail Blazers will be looking for their fifth win in a row when the surprising Toronto Raptors come to town tonight. The Blazers are fresh off a stout 127-110 win against the visiting Miami
Heat on Thursday. The only real negative came in the form of an apparent aggravation of the back issues Deni Avdija has been dealing with for the past 10 days or so. There is reason for optimism that Avdija will be ready to go come game time against the Raptors, but a potentially ongoing injury issue for Avdija is the last thing the team needs as they look to climb up the standings.
Many people expected the Toronto Raptors to be a middle-of-the-pack team in the East. Instead, the Raptors are in fourth place, and are rumored to be potential buyers before the trade deadline. It would take a brave person to say that the Raptors are one piece away from being a true contender, but they are already making some noise with the players they have. Look for Toronto to be linked with nearly every quality player that might be on the trade block, and don’t be surprised if they pull the trigger on one of the bigger mid-season deals.
What you Need to Know
Toronto Raptors – (27-19) at Portland Trail Blazers (23-22) Fri., Jan. 23 – 7:00pm Pacific
How to watch via antenna or cable: See your options on the Rip City Television Network
How to stream: BlazerVision in Oregon and Washington; League Pass everywhere else
How to listen: Trail Blazers Audio Network
SB Nation Affiliate: Raptors HQ
Trail Blazers Injuries: Not released yet
Raptors injuries: Jakob Poeltl, Ja’Kobe Walter (Out); Collin Murray-Boyles, RJ Barrett (Questionable).
Storylines
Don’t Underestimate the Raptors
For those of us on the West Coast, it’s sometimes hard to stay in touch with teams out East. If you are remembering the Raptors’ 30-52 record last season and are thinking the Blazers should have this game well in hand, it’s time to get up to speed. Toronoto is 27-19, good for 4th in the East, barely behind the New York Knicks. After a tremendous November where they went 12-3, they came down to earth some December, although they did beat the Blazers 121-118 in Toronto on December 2nd. They’ve turned the dial up again in January, putting up a 7-3 record so far for the month. The Raptors are on the fourth game of a five-game road trip, having previously lost to the Los Angeles Lakers before defeating the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings. Another advantage for the Raptors is that they will come in to Portland with an extra days’ rest compared to the Blazers.
Deni’s Back
After recently missing three games with back issues, Deni Avdija aggravated his back once again early in the third quarter against the Miami Heat on Thursday. Coach Tiago Splitter indicated that it was his decision to remove Avdija from the game as a precaution, and Splitter was optimistic that he’d be able to play against the Raptors. That may turn out to be true, but back injuries can be tricky. Whether Avdija is able to play, or even how well he can play, will surely be a major factor in the game.
Scottie Barnes
Barnes is having a really good year, putting up consistent numbers across the board. He’s the team’s second leading scorer, top rebounder, second in assists per game, number one in steals, and also first in blocks. He’s simply a tough cover. He’ll often be found on the wing or at power forward, but he’s more than capable of playing as a defacto point guard, center, or literally anything that the moment calls for. In the previous matchup, Toumani Camara drew the primary assignment of guarding Barnes. While Camara seemed to pass the eye test against him, Barnes still scored 28. Presumably Camara will get another crack at Barnes, and he and the team would do very well to hold him under his season average of 19.8.
Fast Break Points
Last time these two teams met, the Raptors won the transition game 25-10. If the contest with Miami is any indication, fast breaks could be a problem again for the Blazers. The Heat got 24 points off the break compared to only 12 for Portland. The Blazers got away with it against Miami, but such a deficit will be hard to overcome against Toronto.
What Others Are Saying
What will Raptors’ GM Bobby Webster do before the trade deadline? Josh Lewenberg of TSN looks at the possibilities.
He could use the upcoming deadline to add depth and fortify a talented roster with some notable holes, namely shooting and size. He could make a smaller move to unload salary and duck the luxury tax, deferring any major changes to the summer. Or he could ride the momentum, push some of his chips in, and make a run at a seemingly wide-open Eastern Conference.
If you want Raptors fake trades, Eric Koreen of The Athletic has you more than covered (subscription required).
Last year, my colleague Will Guillory suggested the following “fake” trade to me in his effort to find a new home for Brandon Ingram: Toronto would receive Ingram for Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk and Indiana’s 2026 first-round pick, which the Raptors got in the Pascal Siakam trade. I said the Raptors wouldn’t do the trade, even though it was fair, because it would put them in a difficult economic position, correctly predicting the three-year, $120 million extension Ingram eventually signed with the Raptors.
The two teams ended up making that trade, with an extra second-rounder going to the Pelicans. So, when I say that these fake trades, submitted by readers, will not happen, please remember that I can be hilariously, specifically incorrect about these things.
Louis Zatzman of Raptors Republic writes that the Raptors should pull the trigger and acquire Karl-Anthony Towns.
And media whispers — including from the great Zach Lowe — are that Karl-Anthony Towns might be more to blame than others in New York. His scoring and efficiency are down on the season. His defence remains problematic, especially alongside that of Jalen Brunson. He is sacrificing on the a Knicks’ squad studded with stars. With him on an enormous contract that ends in 2027-28 with a player option for more than $60 M, there’s likely no time more than now which could see Towns more available for trade.
