The Raptors’ misery continues! They headed into tonight’s clash against the Bulls, hoping to end their four-game losing streak. But the Toronto-based franchise was dominated from the get-go as the visitors gained an early lead. Adding to their worries, their starting Center, Jakob Poeltl was forced to leave the game after suffering an unfortunate injury because of a scary fall.

Well, the incident occurred in the opening minutes of the final quarter. Merely seconds after checking into the game for Chris Boucher, Jakob Poeltl lost his footing on a slippery patch inside the paint during a defensive play. And that led to him falling to the floor with his legs extended in a split position. With the big man in agony, the play stopped as the staff rushed to check on Poeltl.

The hoopster was seen favoring his left hamstring and immediately checked out of the game to head to the locker room. It should be noted that the fall occurred on the same spot where Talen Horton-Tucker fell during a drive to the basket just seconds earlier. That might have left a slippery spot on the floor because of the sweat, which led to Poeltl’s nasty fall.

Just like fans feared, it was later revealed that he was out for the remainder of the game with a groin injury. Unfortunately, Poeltl’s night ended early, with 6 points and five rebounds.

The severity of Poeltl’s injury remains unknown and it could cause him to miss some games going forward. Obviously, that would be a massive blow for the team because he is having his career’s best year, averaging 15.9 points and over eleven rebounds. And his absence would leave a massive void on both ends. Sure enough, that was evident tonight after the hoopster left.

Raptors fall short of miraculous comeback after Jakob Poeltl’s injury

With the big man out, the chances of the Raptors winning became even more bleak. But they shocked everyone by almost turning the game around in the final quarter. And they might even have sneaked a win had it not been for THT’s clutch free throw in the final seconds to extend the lead to four points. Adding to the excitement, Jamal Shead even banked a long-range buzzer beater to cut the deficit down to just one point.

Yes, the Raptors finished the final quarter outscoring the opponents by a solid ten points. But the valiant effort was not enough to snap their losing streak, which has now extended to five after tonight’s absolute heartbreaker. Maybe if Jakob Poeltl was healthy and available, the outcome would have been different. However, now the Toronto side can only hope that this injury is not too serious and he makes a comeback soon to end their misery.