The Toronto Raptors are big underdogs on the road when they take on the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Raptors have lost 6 of their last 7 games and will be in tough for this matchup.
The good news for Toronto is they are slowly getting back to full strength. Both Jakob Poeltl and Immanuel Quickley returned to the lineup on Feb. 2 against the Houston Rockets.
The Raptors are hoping to have a much different result than the one in Houston.
They were outplayed from start to finish and ended up losing by 29. The Raptors are not focused on winning, but they still want to be able to show some fight in these contests.
The Raptors will have Quickley and Poeltl once again in the starting lineup. As for RJ Barrett he is questionable with knee swelling and Jontay Porter is out with back spasms.
For the Thunder, Jalen Williams is out with an ankle sprain, Isiah Joe is out with a sternum contusion and Tre Mann is questionable with personal reasons.
The Raptors will have their hands full with MVP candidate and Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
He is averaging 31.3 point per game. Shai and rookie sensation Chet Holmgren are a big reason why the Thunder have taken a giant leap this season.
Holmgren is averaging 16.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game this season.
Scottie Barnes was the only Raptor who showed up last game from the start and if the Raptors want any chance up upsetting the best team in the west then they need all hands on deck.
Toronto Raptors (17-31) vs. Houston Rockets (34-15)
8:00 p.m. ET, Friday, February 2, 2024
Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
TV: Sportsnet
Projected Raptors Starting Lineup:
PG: Immanuel Quickley
SG: Gary Trent Jr.
SF: Bruce Brown
PF: Scottie Barnes
C: Jakob Poeltl
Key Reserves: Dennis Schroder, Gradey Dick, Jordan Nwora
Projected Thunder Starting Lineup:
PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
SG: Josh Giddey
SF: Cason Wallace
PF: Luguentz Dort
C: Chet Holmgren
Key Reserves: Aaron Wiggins, Ousmane Dieng, Lindy Waters III
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