The Toronto Raptors have a clean bill of health heading into Thursday night's game against the visiting New Orleans Pelicans, coach Nick Nurse says. But they won't have starting point guard Fred VanVleet, who is out because of personal reasons.
O.G. Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr. will return to the lineup as Toronto plays its first game since Feb. 14 — following the All-Star break.
Anunoby has been dealing with a wrist ailment and has not played since Jan. 27 when he was injured against the Golden State Warriors. One of the top defensive wings in the league, Anunoby is averaging 16.9 and 5.5 rebounds per game for the Raptors this season.
Meanwhile, Trent Jr. has been dealing with a calf strain and last played Feb. 10 against the Utah Jazz. The sharpshooter is the third leading scorer on the Raptors this season, averaging 18.6 points per game.
Toronto has won five of its past six games, and two of its last three since adding centre Jakob Poeltl at the trade deadline. With 23 games remaining, the Raptors have a 28-31 record and sit 10th in the Eastern Conference — the final spot in the NBA's play-in tournament.
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