The Toronto Raptors need to get through this last chunk of regular season games with as few interruptions and poor performances as possible, as Fred VanVleet and the rest of the squad are running out of chances to gain ground in a significant fashion. Winning against the Oklahoma City Thunder was a nice start to this late stretch.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are up next on the docket. While they would be a challenge at full health, the latest batch of injuries that have plagued this roster has made it difficult for them to consistently field a team capable of doing some damage.
While the Raptors have been better in winnable games this season than they were in a 2021-22 campaign where they had problems with playing down to their competition, Toronto has shown to take care of business when called upon after the Jakob Poeltl trade. Will this roster do the same here, or slip up?
Is Fred VanVleet playing vs. Timberwolves?
VanVleet is healthy and ready to go against Minnesota. The Raptors are just one game behind the Hawks for the No. 8 seed, which means that VanVleet will need to be on top of his game in order to carry his team to such lofty heights in the final stages of the season.
Is Anthony Edwards playing vs. Raptors?
Edwards suffered an ankle sprain during last night’s game against the Bulls. While he has not been given an official timeline on how long he will be out, but it seems very unlikely that he will play in this game.
UPDATE: Edwards has been ruled “Out indefinitely” by coach Chris Finch.
Anthony Edwards is down in pain after appearing to sprain his right ankle. 🙏#RaisedByWolves | #NBA pic.twitter.com/TTh6UZZqnl
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) March 18, 2023
Full Raptors injury report vs. Timberwolves:
VanVleet is healthy, but the status of Christian Koloko remains an unknown. The rookie big man suffered a fractured nose against the Thunder, meaning that he has officially been ruled questionable against Rudy Gobert and Minnesota.
Full Timberwolves injury report vs. Raptors:
Minnesota will likely be without Edwards in this game, and Karl-Anthony Towns is still just a few days away from returning to basketball activities. Jaylen Nowell is also out with a knee injury.
Raptors upcoming schedule and opponents:
Toronto will face off against two Central teams in the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers next week.
March 19 @ Milwaukee Bucks
March 22 vs. Indiana Pacers
March 24 vs. Detroit Pistons
March 26 vs. Washington Wizards