clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Raptors vs. Kings Game Thread: Updates, TV info, and more

The Kings are in Toronto tonight and, recent four-game losing streak aside, have been trending in the right direction. The Raptors, meanwhile, are still quite good — even without Kawhi Leonard. Let’s watch.

By Daniel Reynolds
NBA: Toronto Raptors at Sacramento Kings Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The surprises keep on coming with the Raptors. Pre-game tonight, with everyone prepared for and expecting a return from Kawhi Leonard, Toronto’s head coach Nick Nurse instead announced he’d be sitting out tonight. And what’s more, before we could even ask: Kawhi will be out tomorrow too. (The consolation prize: Leonard is booked to appear on Friday night against the Rockets in Houston.)

For tonight’s Kings vs. Raptors game, these pronouncements change the math considerably. Our preview this morning, now woefully out-of-date, harped on Toronto’s bench in the absence of OG Anunoby (still out tonight) and Jonas Valanciunas (still out for the foreseeable future). What we did not anticipate — for how could we? — was that Kawhi would still be managing the metaphorical load. (OK, it’s not metaphorical; as Nurse discussed before the game, it’s quite a leap to go from nine games in a season to a full 82 plus playoffs, plus hopefully Finals run.) Toronto will have the same team they had on Saturday night — except the Kings are not the Grizzlies.

In the meantime, Sacramento has updated their health situation too, with some questionable calls coming for central figures De’Aaron Fox and Nemanja Bjelica. In addition, the Kings have cutely decided to shutdown veteran Iman Shumpert for tonight’s game in Toronto citing — what else? — load management. [Update: The Kings have ruled this trio out.]

We’ve got your full Raptors-Kings preview here (with Josh Kern and I joining forces) and the updated details for tonight’s game below.

Where to Watch:

TSN at 7pm EST

Lineups:

Toronto - Fred VanVleet, Kyle Lowry, Danny Green, Pascal Siakam, Serge Ibaka

Sacramento [Updated] - Buddy Hield, Marvin Bagley III, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Willie Cauley-Stein, Yogi Ferrell

Injuries:

Toronto - OG Anunoby (personal), Jonas Valanciunas (hand), Kawhi Leonard (load management)

Sacramento [Updated] - Nemanja Bjelica (lower back tightness - out), De’Aaron Fox (left big toe soreness - out), Iman Shumpert (out - load management; cheeky!)

More From Raptors HQ