How Toronto Raptors look to bounce back for the second night in a row, they may be welcoming reinforcements.
Start Center Jacob Poeltl he is expected to play on Sunday against the team Brooklyn Netsaccording to head coach Darko Rajakovic before the game, after missing the team's last two matches due to a lingering back injury.
The Raptors beat the Boston Celtics 112-96 on Saturday, and Poeltl's absence was definitely felt. Toronto lost 55-37 and gave up 17 offensive boards while getting 23 second-chance points.
Poeltl entered the weekend with a probable rating, but was downgraded to questionable on Saturday morning before ultimately being ruled out against Boston.
Before the loss to the Celtics, Rajakovic called Poeltl's ongoing back injury, which has forced him to miss nine games already this season, “unpredictable.”
However, the bench boss added that he believes “it’s not that serious” and that the Austrian big man should return to his usual form sooner rather than later.
Poeltl's production has been hampered this season by back problems, as he averaged 10.1 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 20 games. This all comes on the heels of a career-best 2024-25 season, which earned the 30-year-old a three-year, $84 million extension this offseason.
Meanwhile, the Raptors will be without R.J. Barrett as the starting guard will miss his 13th straight game with a sprained right knee suffered Nov. 23 against the Nets. Also missing from Sunday's contest will be Jonathan Mogbo, who along with two-way players AJ Lawson, Aaliyah Martin and Chuckie Hepburn will be in Orlando for the NBA G League showcase representing Toronto's affiliate Raptors 905.
Toronto enters the Atlantic Division matchup against Brooklyn with a 17-12 record, fourth in the Eastern Conference.
