The Raptors might finally be at full strength again. After taking down the Brooklyn Nets by 17 points on Wednesday, they’re hoping to build momentum. But with a record of 8-26, Toronto is still sitting 13th in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic are coming off a rough loss to the Detroit Pistons, falling by nine points on New Year’s Day. Sitting at 20-15, Orlando is holding onto fourth place in the East. Looks like it’ll be a pivotal game, as both teams have a lot to prove!
The Raptors are aiming to secure their 2nd win in a row when they take on the Magic this Friday night. Toronto has shown flashes of potential, winning back-to-back games in November to break a seven-game losing streak. They repeated the feat in early December before things spiraled out of control, again. Interestingly, all of the Raptors’ victories this season have come at home. Looks like the Scotiabank Arena is where they feel most comfortable!
The Magic are wrapping up a two-game road trip and haven’t had the best luck away from home. With a 7-11 record on the road, they’ll need to dig deep if they want to change that. Before the matchup, let us take a look at the teams’ injury reports and their depth charts.
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Raptors look to stabilize win momentum with almost a fully healthy roster
They only have one player on their report. RJ Barrett has been dealing with an illness and is now listed as questionable for the game, per TSN’s Josh Lewenberg. He’s already missed the Raptors’ last two games because of this issue. If he suits up, it’ll mark the first time this season that the Toronto side will have their full starting lineup ready to go.
POSITION | STARTER | 2nd | 3rd |
PG | Immanuel Quickley | Jamal Shead | Davion Mitchell |
SG | Gradey Dick | Ja’Kobe Walter | Davion Mitchell |
SF | RJ Barrett (DD) | Bruce Brown | Ochai Agbaji |
PF | Scottie Barnes | Ochai Agbaji | Chris Boucher |
C | Jakob Poeltl | Kelly Olynyk | Jonathan Mogbo |
Immanuel Quickley’s return from an elbow injury was a breath of fresh air for the team. Against the Nets on Jan. 1, he dropped 21 points and 15 assists in 32 minutes. His return to the point guard role let Scottie Barnes slide back to forward. With Barrett potentially back in the mix, the Raptors are set to see everything click into place.
Here’s the kicker: the starting lineup of Immanuel Quickley, Gradey Dick, RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes, and Jakob Poeltl has only played a total of four minutes together so far! This will be the first real chance to see what this group can do when they finally get a full game together. It’s about time, right?
The Magic is riddled with injuries, who will step up this time?
Paolo Banchero will miss his 31st straight game after injuring his right oblique on Oct. 30 at Chicago. He’s still listed under “return to competition reconditioning,” his fourth game in that status. Franz Wagner is also out, sitting for an 11th straight game because of a torn right oblique from Dec. 6 in Philadelphia.
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It’s a tough break for Moe Wagner, too—he suffered a season-ending torn left ACL in the game against Miami on Dec. 21.
POSITION | STARTER | 2nd | 3rd |
PG | Anthony Black (O) | Cory Joseph | Jalen Suggs |
SG | Jalen Suggs | Trevelin Queen (DD) | Cole Anthony |
SF | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | Gary Harris (O) | Jett Howard |
PF | Tristan da Silva | Jonathan Isaac | Wendell Carter Jr. |
C | Goga Bitadze | Wendell Carter Jr. | Jonathan Isaac |
And if you were hoping for a full roster, don’t get your hopes up just yet. Gary Harris is back on the injury report, listed as out with a left hamstring strain. He missed 13 games last month for the same injury but made his return on Dec. 27 against the Knicks. Since coming back, he’s seen action in three games, playing 15 minutes each time.
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Trevelin Queen, the two-way guard, is probable to play after missing Wednesday’s game with illness. Anthony Black has missed two games in a row—one with back spasms and the latest with a low back contusion. He’s questionable for Friday night’s game. The only silver lining is Jalen Suggs, who hasn’t made the injury report for the Magic despite spraining his right wrist against the Nets.
So who do you think will win? The Raptors with a fully healthy roster or the depleted Magic?
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Can the Raptors finally turn their season around with a full-strength lineup against the Magic?
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