The Toronto Raptors will be without Serge Ibaka and Kyle Lowry when they take on the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.
Lowry has missed the Raptors’ last two games with a left thigh contusion, while right knee swelling will sideline Ibaka.
With Jonas Valanciunas also unavailable due to a thumb injury, Greg Monroe will start at centre tonight for the Raptors and Chris Boucher is expected to fill in some back up minutes.
Through the first stretch of the season Lowry has consistently been among the Raptors’ best players, averaging 14.2 points and a league-best 10 assists per game. Ibaka has also enjoyed a strong start to the campaign, especially when shooting from two-point range where he has made an impressive 62 per cent of his shots en route to a career-high 16.2 points per game.
It’s not all bad news on the injury front for the Raptors tonight though. Pascal Siakam, whose play has garnered him Most Improved Player of the Year award buzz, will be active after recovering from a back injury, as will Fred VanVleet.
Tonight also marks the return of Norm Powell who has missed the last month with a partially dislocated left shoulder. Throughout 11 games played so far this season, Powell has averaged 5.0 points on 46 per cent shooting from the field as well as 2.0 rebounds per game.
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