The Toronto Raptors will not have any players return from injuries Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers as Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, Rodney Hood, Patrick McCaw, Paul Watson and Jalen Harris all remain out of the lineup with various ailments, the team announced.
All six players were also unavailable for Monday's win over the Washington Wizards.
With the same six out against the Lakers, the Raptors are expected to again only have nine players available Tuesday night.
In terms of when reinforcements could arrive, Raptors coach Nick Nurse explains it is all still very much up in the air.
"Hopefully we'll get a guy or two back here during the week," said Nurse. "It's all day-to-day stuff. I don't know. I mean, if we can spread these nine guys out here a little bit. A lot of 'em have been looking for more minutes and playing time, and here it is. So I think we should be okay."
Gary Trent Jr. and Malachi Flynn are two players who have used the newly available minutes to make an impression on the coaching staff.
Trent hit the game-winning shot at the buzzer against the Wizards on Monday, capping off a career-high 31 point night.
ICE IN HIS VEINS.
GARY TRENT JR. WITH THE GAME WINNER #RapsOnSN pic.twitter.com/0hDimR7aZf
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 6, 2021
Flynn added 16 points and six assists of his own but was particularly impressive on the defensive end, an area he struggled with to begin the season.
On Tuesday, the Raptors will square off against a team dealing with their own injury woes, as the Lakers will once again be without LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Without their two superstars, the defending champs have struggled. Frank Vogel's squad is 4-6 in their last 10 games, and have fallen to fifth in the Western Conference.
