Jay Satur - Raptors.com
The Raptors have no time to dwell on a tough divisional road loss, as they return home for another Atlantic battle with the Boston Celtics (7:30 PM ET, Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet 590 The FAN).
UPDADTE - 6:38 PM ET: Amir Johnson (sprained right ankle) joins Kyle Lowry (back spasms) on the sidelines for tonight's game vs. the Celtics. Tyler Hansbrough gets the start in Johnson's place.
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Projected Starting Lineups
Raptors: Greivis Vasquez (G), DeMar DeRozan (G), Terrence Ross (F), Amir Johnson (F), Jonas Valanciunas (C)
Celtics: Marcus Smart(G), Avery Bradley (G), Evan Turner (F), Brandon Bass (F), Jonas Valanciunas (C)
Injury/Roster Report
Raptors: Kyle Lowry - back spasms (doubtful)
Celtics: None
Game Notes
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No update available yet on Amir Johnson, who left Friday's game against the Nets in the third quarter with a right ankle sprain. The absence of the forward was glaring down the stretch as the Raptors allowed the Nets to score 40 points in the pain in the second half and missed some pivotal defensive rebounds (the Nets grabbed 17 offensive boards).
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The Raptors can win the season series against the Celtics with a third victory in as many meetings tonight at home. The Raptors used a huge third-quarter run and kept the Celtics at bay the rest of the way in the last meeting on January 10th -- a 109-96 win at Air Canada Centre. These two teams will meet once more in Boston on April 14th.
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Kyle Lowry was big in that last meeting against the Celtics with 10 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, but he likely won't be in the lineup for tonight's matchup as he recovers from back spasms. Lowry spoke pre-game in Brooklyn about slowly ramping up the intensity of his workouts as he prepares for a return and said he anticipates coming back before the post-season begins, but offered no target date.
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The Celtics will also be aiming to bounce back from a costly 110-101 loss at home to the Milwaukee Bucks last night that dropped them to ninth place in the Eastern Conference and a half-game out of the playoff picture. Sixth man Isaiah Thomas led the Celtics in scoring off the bench with 23 points and six assists, while Avery Bradley and Jonas Jerebko each added 17 points in defeat.
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One unexpected name the Raptors may have to contend with is Jared Sullinger. The forward was initially believed to be out for the rest of the season after suffering a broken foot back on February 19th, but he was surprisingly made available for Friday's game and played three minutes. Don't expect to see much of Sullinger tonight as he's eased back into the rotation, but his averages of 17.7 points per game and 12.3 rebounds per game are his highest against any NBA opponent.
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The Raptors have been pretty consistent in taking care of the ball all season (12.9 turnovers per game, 4th in NBA), but the Celtics have made major strides in that category since the All-Star break. Boston is currently tied with Toronto for fourth in the NBA in fewest turnovers per game (12.9) after the All-Star Break and has moved up from 15th in the league in that category to 10th overall this season.