John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Report: Fred VanVleet Ruled Out for Game 5 vs. 76ers
The Toronto Raptors will be without their lead guard in a do-or-die Game 5 against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night.
Fred VanVleet told reporters in Philadelphia that he'll be unable to play due to a hip strain he suffered in the first half of Game 4. The news, first reported by TSN's Josh Lewenberg, is a tough break for Toronto who will now have to rely on its thin backup guard depth to play a pivotal role against the 76ers.
The 28-year-old guard didn't look himself healthy in the second quarter of Game 4. He passed up an open three-pointer, the kind he'd normally take, to find Gary Trent Jr. for a three-pointer. He then took an intentional foul and immediately checked himself out of the game while ripping his jersey in frustration.
"First of all, as you all know, he has been banged around pretty good this year and he continues to lace them up and go out there and play big minutes every night," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said post-game. "Not every guy in this league does that. And when you are fighting through one thing and all of a sudden you get another one that feels as painful as it looked to him, then it’s frustrating. He is going to play through a lot of bangs and bruises and bumps and not being healthy and I’m sure he just wanted to play so I’m sure he was frustrated."
VanVleet had struggled with his shooting through the first four games, nailing just 35.2% of his shots from the floor and 33.3% of his three-pointers. His lack of speed proved costly early in the series when he was asked to defend the speedy Tyrese Maxey.
Without VanVleet, expect the Raptors to turn to Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam as the lead point guards with Malachi Flynn providing depth off the bench.
Further Reading
Joel Embiid complains about the officials, insinuating the refs intentionally favored the Raptors
Raptors discuss what makes Scottie Barnes special & reactions to his Rookie of the Year award
