Toronto Raptors centre Serge Ibaka will return to the lineup at home against the Utah Jazz Sunday.
Point guard Kyle Lowry and rookie centre Dewan Hernandez are both listed as doubtful to play.
“Serge is gonna give it a shot tonight, so he’s back. That’s it so far,” head coach Nick Nurse said pre-game. “We’re gonna get one last test on Kyle and Dewan here, one more fitness test, but they’re both doubtful.”
Ibaka is going to return to his normal role as the first centre off the bench against the Jazz, according to Nurse.
“You kinda throw him out there in probably his regular spot, first big off the bench, and see how he goes, see how his wind is, see how the game’s flowing for him,” Nurse said. “Like we do with about anybody, if he’s rolling we let him roll, and if he’s not we keep it short.”
Ibaka injured his ankle on Nov. 8 against the New Orleans Pelicans, the same game Lowry fractured his thumb. The Raptors went 8-2 without Ibaka in the lineup and are on a six-game winning streak.
A big reason for the Raptors’ success during that stretch has been strong performances under the net from Chris Boucher and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Nurse says Boucher will see his minutes decrease with Ibaka’s return to game action but Hollis-Jefferson will still be leaned on.
“Well, Rondae’s in. Rondae’s at, I think, a different position. He’s kinda playing from two through five and, I mean, he guards some point guards sometimes. So he’s in as a definite, important cog to our defence. Chris, probably, has to wait a little bit tonight because Serge goes in there and replaces him as the first big off the bench,” Nurse said. “I mean, Chris was the only big off the bench, so he was locked into some guaranteed minutes. Tonight, it just depends on what we see out there. Can we play Serge and Chris together? Probably. But they play off of guard and wing at times, and they’re great matchups for Serge and Chris when they’re guarding it.
“You know, a guy that can take it off the bounce or shoot threes or run off screens, or whatever it is, so we just have to take a look. But I’m playing them. Chris has deserved and earned minutes, so I’m planning him some tonight.”
The 30-year-old Ibaka is averaging 14 points and 6.5 rebounds this season.
With files from Steven Loung.
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