TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors are learning to play basketball as two different teams, one with Jakob Poeltl and one without.
Poeltl missed his second straight game with lower back pain as Toronto lost to the Boston Celtics by a 112-96 decision. Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said before the game that Poeltl's back problems are “unpredictable” and that the team's coaching and training staff are figuring out how to prevent painful flare-ups.
Sandro Mamukelashvili, Poeltl's backup at center, said he's always ready no matter what's going on ahead on Toronto's depth chart.
“It doesn't matter. I come off the bench, I start, I want to go out and make sure I help the team win, and that's my only mindset,” Mamukelashvili said after scoring a season-high 24 points, including 6 of 9 3-pointers. “Jak is here, I'll be ready when my name is called. If I start, I'll be ready when my name is called.
“At the end of the day, if you’re not scoring or it’s not your best game, you always have to be energetic, you always have to be determined and play hard.”
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Although Mamukelashvili excelled offensively, Poeltl's absence was still keenly felt by the Raptors against Boston. The Celtics beat Toronto 55-37 and scored 54 points in the paint to the Raptors' 32.
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“I hate being outplayed. It definitely hurts, especially because I could have gotten more rebounds myself,” said Mamukelashvili, who knocked down five boards. “I feel like I have to box well. But sometimes we box and everyone fails and it has to be a team effort.
“At the same time, I can do better.”
Brandon Ingram scored 24 points and added seven assists as Toronto (17-12) had its narrow two-game winning streak snapped. Scottie Barnes flirted with a double-double despite a slow start, finishing with 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Ingram agreed with Mamukelashvili that the entire Raptors will have to do more in Poeltl's absence.
“We always have to find a way to maybe get more guys involved,” he said in the Toronto locker room at Scotiabank Arena. “Everyone needs to find a way to reduce rebounding in basketball, myself included, so that could be a deciding factor in the future.”
Poeltl is averaging 10.1 points, eight rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. The 30-year-old was rested for one game of the Raptors' back-to-back games this season.
Toronto visits the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. However, Poeltl also missed the Raptors' 111-105 win in Milwaukee on Thursday, meaning he had five days of rest before Saturday's game against the Celtics.
“At this point, it's not that big of a deal where we say, 'We need to turn it off.' It’s not that serious,” Rajakovic said before the game. “It’s management, he’s learning, we’re learning what the best approach to it is.
“That's also my challenge: Does he need to play longer? Does he need to play three stints? We're just trying to find the best formula for him to play every week.”
Before the game, Rajakovic reported that swingman R.J. Barrett, from Mississauga, Ont., has resumed some on-court action.
Barrett has been out with a sprained right knee since being injured against Brooklyn on Nov. 23. Before he was injured, he averaged 19.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.
Toronto announced Monday that Barrett will return to action this week after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection.
“He is responding very well to treatment and the PRP injection,” Rajakovic said. “He walked onto the court (yesterday) but still didn’t make live contact.
“It's going to happen in the next few days, playing against the coaches, against some contact, and playing live in training, against teammates or our video guys. After the game group, we're going to clear him and he'll be available.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 21, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
