Toronto Raptors star point guard Kyle Lowry said he’ll be a game-time decision for Friday night’s playoff matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Lowry skipped the morning shootaround and planned to test his sprained left ankle before the Raptors tip off against the Cavs in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal.
"See how I feel, see how the ankle feels and go from there," said Lowry. "I have to be able to go out there and play, play defence, run up and down, make cuts. The making cuts part will be the most difficult part. Going straight forward will be okay. The cuts, playing defence, the sudden reactions will be the tough part."
Lowry suffered the injury in Game 2 in Cleveland when Cavs forward Tristan Thompson shoved Toronto’s Norm Powell, who hit Lowry sideways as he fell.
The loss of Lowry would be a huge blow to the Raptors, who lost the first two games in the best-of-seven series at Cleveland.
"It sucks," Lowry said. "I want to be out there 100 per cent with my teammates, playing and trying to win games, protecting home court. I wish I could be out there with my teammates, that’s the goal."
Coach Dwane Casey said the decision will be made jointly by Lowry and the team’s medical staff.
"If a guy feels like he can go, he’ll go, but the doctors will have something to say about it too," Casey said. "But most of all, it’s the player. The player knows his pain tolerance. If there’s no possibility of further injury, then I’m sure he’ll try to go."
Lowry missed 21 games late in the regular season after undergoing wrist surgery. The Raptors went 14-7 while he was out.
Still, his absence would affect Toronto’s game plan "a lot," Casey said.
"He and DeMar (DeRozan) are both our hubs, they’re the key to our team, and I’ve said it a lot, the way they go is the way we go," Casey said. "And we’re a different team.
"But I have all the confidence in the world in (backup point guard) Cory Joseph. Of all the players on our team, he’s won a championship (with San Antonio). He knows how hard it is to win a championship. So he’s very capable if Kyle can’t go."
Game 4 is Sunday afternoon in Toronto.
[relatedlinks]
