After tying their first round series with the Milwaukee Bucks at two games apiece over the weekend, the Toronto Raptors are looking to take the series lead tonight at the Air Canada Centre. But they may have to do so while, arguably, their most important player battles injury.
Kyle Lowry did not participate in shootaround Monday morning prior to Game 5 due to ‘back stiffness’, though he is still expected to suit up tonight.
Back injuries are no joke— Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr says he may miss the entire post-season dealing with complications following back surgery— and it’s the kind of nagging ailment that doesn’t exactly go away overnight.
Having received treatment, Lowry will rest up this afternoon in the hopes that the pain subsides enough for him to be a major contributor, something the Raptors will need from him. The Raptors won both games in which the three-time all-star scored 18 points or more this series and struggled when Lowry wasn’t an impact player.
Lowry missed 21 games toward the end of the regular season, returning for the final four games in which he averaged 17.3 points, 7.8 assists, and two steals while shooting 48 per cent from the field.
In the 2017 post-season thus far, the 31-year old pending free agent is averaging 14.3 points, 4.3 assists, and 1.5 steals per game on 40 per cent shooting— and just 25 per cent from beyond the arc.
[relatedlinks]
