Jakob Poeltl Ruled Out For Raptors vs. Rockets

The Toronto Raptors will be without starting centre Jakob Poeltl against the Houston Rockets.

Poeltl is dealing with an illness, which will cause him to miss his 35th game of the season.

Poeltl is OUT tonight with an illness.

No CMB or TJD either.
— Esfandiar Baraheni (@JustEsBaraheni) March 10, 2026

Poeltl Out vs. Rockets

With Poeltl on the sidelines, the Raptors will go with Sandro Mamukelashvili as the starting center against the Rockets. Joining him in the starting lineup is Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Brandon Ingram, and Scottie Barnes.

Barrett in particular will miss having Poeltl on the court.

"Jak was responsible for like ten of my points. He sets the great screens. Bigs gotta worry about them. Even the guards, corner man tagging, he hits the screen and roll and really sets a lot of things up, especially for me when I'm coming off screens like that. Cutting, passing, he's getting rebounds, blocking shots, doing everything. Yeah, so man, it's a great thing to have Jak back," Barrett said after the team's last game against the Dallas Mavericks.

The Raptors would normally go with Collin Murray-Boyles as the starting centre with Poeltl out, but the rookie is also missing the game as well due to a thumb sprain. Murray-Boyles has not played since Feb 25 against the San Antonio Spurs, when he exited the game due to the injury.

The Raptors are also playing without trade deadline acquisition Trayce Jackson-Davis, who is dealing with an injury of his own. Jackson-Davis is out with a dislocated finger. He has played in just seven games for the Raptors since being acquired in the trade back in February. He is averaging two points and 2.7 rebounds per game.

The Rockets have a few injuries of their own, but none should come as a surprise to the team. Former Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet has been recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in the offseason. On top of that, backup centre Steven Adams is recovering from ankle surgery that he had in the middle of the season. Veteran forward Jae'SeanTate is also missing the game due to an MCL sprain he suffered against the New York Knicks last month.

Tip-off between the Raptors and Rockets is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET inside Toyota Center. Fans can watch the game on TSN Sports or stream it on NBA League Pass.

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