The Toronto Raptors and the Brooklyn Nets enter Monday with the two longest losing streaks in the NBA. They also both have length injury reports as this stage of the season. And now, Jontay Porter adds to the laundry list that is the Raptors injured group as Toronto attempts to break their 10-game losing streak at home against the Nets.
Porter (personal) has been ruled out for Monday’s game. He joins the usual suspects of Scottie Barnes (hand), Jakob Poeltl (hand), Chris Boucher (knee), RJ Barrett (personal), Immanuel Quickley (personal) and D.J. Carton (ankle). This means the Raptors are once again led by Gary Trent Jr. and Gradey Dick, the mentor-mentee team that has attempted to keep Toronto afloat during the back-end of this lost season.
Trent Jr. took Dick under his wing very early on in the campaign, and given the way things have gone, the 2023 first-round draft pick has the chance for an expedited development track being the No. 2 option. They are assisted by the also developing Ochai Agbaji and veterans Bruce Brown Jr. and Kelly Olynyk.
The Nets, meanwhile, are without rookie Dariq Whitehead, veteran Ben Simmons, Cameron Johnson, Dennis Smith Jr. and Keita Bates-Diop. However, this still leaves them with their best player in Mikal Bridges alongside veterans like Dennis Schroder, Nic Claxton, Lonnie Walker IV and youngster Cam Thomas to keep them alive.
Still, they have lost six consecutive games and nine of their last 11 outings. And while neither team has been formally eliminated from the postseason, they are each only a few losses away from doing so.
It’s been well-documented that the goal for the Raptors is to have the best chance possible at keeping their top-six protected first round draft pick. They currently have the sixth-worst record in the NBA, giving them around a 46% chance to keep their selection. Any wins the rest of the way could allow the Memphis Grizzlies to catch up and drop those odds to the mid-30s.
Brooklyn Nets (26-45) vs. Toronto Raptors (23-48)
7:30 p.m. EST, Monday, March 25, 2024
Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario
TV: Sportsnet
Projected Nets Starting Lineup:
PG: Dennis Schroder
SG: Cam Thomas
SF: Mikal Bridges
PF: Dorian Finney-Smith
C: Nic Claxton
Key Reserves: Jalen Wilson, Lonnie Walker IV, Noah Clowney
Projected Raptors Starting Lineup:
PG: Gary Trent Jr.
SG: Gradey Dick
SF: Bruce Brown Jr.
PF: Ochai Agbaji
C: Kelly Olynyk
Key Reserves: Javon Freeman-Liberty, Jordan Nwora, Jalen McDaniels
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