Raptors at Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers are losers of five straight and nine of their last 10 and might be without their best player when they host the Toronto Raptors on Monday. Damian Lillard had x-rays come back negative on a sprained ankle that forced him out of Friday's loss to the San Antonio Spurs and is listed as day-to-day.
"It’s a tough one," Lillard, who left the arena in a walking boot, told reporters. "I jumped in the air to get a rebound, came down out the air and landed on somebody’s foot and I know I rolled it good. I went back in the game because I wanted to see, I wanted to test it because it hurt. I went out there for a few possessions and it didn’t make sense to be out there." Lillard is averaging 27 points and 6.2 assists but is struggling to drag the Trail Blazers into the win column due in large part to a defense that surrenders an average of 112.8 points. The Raptors lead the Eastern Conference in scoring average at 112 points and are enjoying a three-game winning streak after beginning a six-game road trip with a 104-98 win at Utah on Friday. Toronto must avoid overlooking a stumbling Portland team with a date at Golden State looming on Wednesday.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, Sportsnet One (Toronto), CSN Northwest (Portland)
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (21-8): Whoever starts at point guard will need to find a way to contain Toronto's Kyle Lowry, who returned from getting stitches in his lip to score 19 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter on Friday. "They made a run when I went out and I sat back and wanted to get a win, that's all," Lowry told reporters. "...(I) do whatever it takes to win games, help my team win. Loose balls, open shots. We all do it and we do it together. That's what it's all about." Lowry, who went 15-of-20 from the floor on Friday, is averaging 24 points on 57.9 percent shooting and 7.3 assists in December.
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (13-19): Portland will need to lean more on shooting guard C.J. McCollum, who is 10-of-32 from the floor in the last two games, if Lillard needs to miss time. "I don't know how well y'all know me, but I don't plan on sitting out," Lillard told reporters. "The next couple of days, I'm going to be trying to do as much as I can." McCollum enjoyed a hot stretch at the beginning of December but went cold from beyond the arc in the last two weeks, going 7-of-30 on his 3-point attempts in the last six contests.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Raptors reserve C Lucas Nogueira is 9-of-12 from the floor in the last three games.
2. Blazers SG Evan Turner (ankle) sat out the last three games and is day-to-day.
3. Toronto took the two meetings last season after Portland won the previous four.