OG Anunoby and Khem Birch will both miss Friday’s game against the Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse confirmed prior to tip off. Yuta Watanabe, who was initially considered as being questionable to play, will be sidelined as well as he ramps up his workload in his return from a calf injury.
Anunoby, 24, hasn’t played since Nov. 15 because of an injured left hip pointer. He’s averaging a career-high 20.1 points through 15 games so far this season. Nurse noted that he hoped Anunoby would be able to return “any day now.”
Birch was ruled out on Thursday as he continues to deal with a lingering wear-and-tear knee issue with swelling having gone up and down over a course of weeks. The Montreal native missed a week with the same injury earlier this month. The 29-year-old is averaging 6.9 points and 5.7 rebounds over 22.9 minutes per game this season.
Watanabe made his season debut against the Memphis Grizzlies recording three points, three rebounds, two steals and two blocks in 14 minutes.
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