Turkoglu to go vs. Lakers as Raptors look to get going

LOS ANGELES -- Chris Bosh said the rest of the season is a time for desperation.

And that means playing through injury. With 1.5 games separating the Raptors, who are in the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference, and the ninth-slotted Miami, players are going to have play at less than 100 percent.

That includes Hedo Turkoglu, who said pregame Tuesday he will suit up against the Lakers despite a sprained left ankle.

"It's a little sore, a little stiff," Turkoglu said. "I'm going to try to do my best.

"I don't want to miss any more games."

Turkoglu, who turns 31 in less than two weeks and in his 10th season, has battled nagging injuries all season. For the most part, he has been a disappointment since signing a 5-year, $53-million contract with the Raptors this offseason.

The forward helped the Magic the NBA Finals last season. Just two years ago, he was averaging 19.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, five assists, and 45.6 percent shooting from the field, all career bests.

This season: 12.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 41.3 percent shooting.

"I had a lot of stuff going on with me this year," Turkoglu said.

"It is frustrating. After having a good year like that [in Orlando] of course you want to contribute and do more, but sometimes things happen and stops you -- injuries and those kind of stuff. You don't want it to bother so you have to put those behind."

Turkoglu's trouble has been finding his niche with the Raptors. He excelled as a playmaker in Orlando, but those duties haven't carried over in Toronto.

"It's hard to fit in," he said. "I just have to do my best. What can I do out there? I cannot look back at what I did [in Orlando]. It was a totally different situation. Now I'm a totally different role and situation. I just have to do whatever it takes and whatever they give me."

While Bosh described the team as having "good chemistry" this season, he did admit that it's been a tough season with the all the injuries and the team not having much game-time experience with a full roster.

While it's odd for roles to be up in the air 61 games into the season, Bosh feels Turkoglu needs to assert himself as a playmaker.

"I think we want to see that," Bosh said. "I think he's still trying to figure out how he can do that. We just have to let him know that he has the opportunity and the chance to be aggressive. He's can do that. He's going to have the ball in his hands a lot. Anytime he wants to make a play, the opportunity is going to be there."