Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Raptors Not Doing Norm Powell any Favours as Heavy Underdogs vs. Mavericks
The Toronto Raptors don't seem to want to do Norman Powell and the Portland Trail Blazers any favours these days.
Toronto has opted once again to rest Kyle Lowry and rule out OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and a laundry list of other players for Friday night's game against the Dallas Mavericks. It's a somewhat strange decision considering the Raptors have secured the seventh-best lottery odds and cannot move up or down regardless of the outcome of the final two games. Yet instead of playing spoiler, they've opted to roll over and play their younger players again.
Vegas has given the undermanned Raptors almost no shot of knocking off Luka Doncic and Mavericks on Friday. The line for the game has been set at Dallas -14, giving the Raptors about a 10% chance of pulling off the upset, according to Covers.
That is not good news for the Trail Blazers who hold a tiebreaker over the Mavericks but need a Dallas loss on Friday to jump into the fifth seed in the Western Conference. Instead, a Mavericks win could force Portland into a first-round playoff series against the L.A. Clippers which is arguably the Trail Blazers' worst nightmare for a first-round opponent.
It'll be up to former Trail Blazer Gary Trent Jr. — if he plays — to save the day for Portland.
Further Reading
Jalen Harris is looking forward to spending the summer developing with the Raptors
Report: Adam Silver wants to add an in-season tournament like the WNBA
Stanley Johnson stars in a possible audition for another NBA contract
