The Toronto Raptors are getting a much-needed reinforcement as they begin a three-game road trip.
According to Eric Smith of Sportsnet 590 The Fan, Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry took part in the morning shootaround and he will start Friday night against the Charlotte Hornets (26-33).
The Raptors rested Lowry the last three games due to nagging injuries and a decline in production after the all-star break.
Lowry averaged just 11.6 points per game on 29.7 percent shooting in the five games he played following his first career all-star appearance. He is averaging 18.0 points, 7.0 assists, and 1.5 steals per game in 58 games this season.
The Raptors will be getting Lowry back at a crucial time as the club has lost six of their last seven games, including a 103-98 contest to the lowly New York Knicks last Saturday.
Lowry will not be eased back into action. He’s expected to a draw a matchup with Charlotte’s Mo Williams Friday night before the Raptors take on Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday. They finish the road trip against the San Antonio Spurs Tuesday before returning home next Friday to take on the Miami Heat.
Westbrook, the NBA’s hottest player, has recorded a triple-double in four of his past five games and has exceeded the 40-point mark three times during that span. The veteran Williams has also been scoring at an explosive rate since Hornets guard Kemba Walker was sidelined with a knee injury in mid-January. Williams has averaged 21.6 points and 12.7 assists per game in Walker’s absence.
The Raptors can’t take this game lightly as the Hornets have had the Toronto’s number in recent years. The club has beaten Toronto in five straight meetings and the Raptors haven’t won in Charlotte since March 29, 2010. Hornets guard Gerald Henderson scored a season-high 31 points in a 108-95 win in Toronto in their only match-up of the season.
Entering Friday, the Atlantic-Division leading Raptors sit in third place in the Eastern Conference with a 38-23 record. They are 17-12 away from Air Canada Centre this season.
