Bench Minutes, Griffin, and Injury Update
It's almost over.
The Toronto Raptors will play one more meaningless game against the Denver Nuggets this afternoon and then it's on to the playoffs.
Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, and Serge Ibaka will all miss the game with the latter two still recovering from mild injuries.
That will once again mean the Raptors' bench will get a lot of playing time.
Chris Boucher vs. Bol Bol:
Chris Boucher is coming off a pair of strong performances against Milwaukee and Philadelphia and today he'll look to make it three in a row against Denver's exciting young big Bol Bol.
These are two of the thinnest players in the NBA, with Boucher listed at 6-foot-9, 200-pounds, and Bol listed at 7-foot-2, 220-pounds. Expect a lot of blocked shots and some fun featherweight boxing in the paint.
Adrian Griffin:
Nick Nurse is back coaching the team after stepping aside on Wednesday to let assistant coach Adrian Griffin handle the coaching duties. Following the game, Griffin's former wife Audrey Griffin alleged Griffin has committed multiple acts of domestic violence.
Nurse touched on both topics during his pre-game media availability Friday.
“First of all, he’s a class individual: hard-working guy, obviously," Nurse said of Griffin. "I’ve known him for a long time and wanted to give him this opportunity to help his career professionally. The rest of that, as you know, he categorically denies all that, and we stand with him, and so does our organization.”
Injury Update:
Nurse said Ibaka and Anunoby are both being held out as precautionary measures.
"There's nothing showing up on the MRIs or anything," Nurse said. "There's just a little swelling, it's more real precautionary for us. I think it's gonna be OK."
