Toronto has an important matchup on the horizon as they close out their season series with the Orlando Magic this evening at Scotiabank Arena. Both teams have boasted a victory over each other in their two prior meetings, as the Raptors squeezed by with a one-point win back in late December (107-106), while the Magic got the upper hand in the subsequent late January matchup (winning 130-120).
If the Raptors secure the season series later tonight, it will be their first consecutive season series win over Orlando since doing so from the 2020 to 2022 seasons, according to Raptors PR. The second key highlight for this final Raptors-Magic tilt is the first-time availability of this key Toronto player, and said person in question is veteran center Jakob Poeltl.
Jakob Poeltl poised for his first appearance vs. Magic this season
The 7-foot big man has been rendered inactive for most of the season, having played in only 37 total games at the time of writing, due to a nagging back injury that has plagued him all year. Just in the nick of time for Toronto though, Jakob Poeltl has been able to recover well, posting key contributions across several of the Raptors' recent contests. Poeltl's questionable health and less than optimal contract may have soured some in the fanbase, but you can't deny that the 30-year-old is still trying to prove his worth as an important component to the Raptors' ambitions.
When Toronto last faced Orlando on January 30, they ran rookie Collin Murray-Boyles at the starting center spot, which is a role that CMB has done quite well for himself in. Meanwhile, in their December 29 contest, it was Sandro Mamukelashvili who slotted in as the starting five-man, while CMB came off the bench. At the time of writing, Collin Murray-Boyles is listed as "questionable" with lower back spasms, however, if CMB is able to suit up for the Raptors later tonight — it will mark the first time where Toronto will have all of their key center depth available.
Toronto faired well for themselves in light of Poeltl's absence before, having kept the rebounding battles relatively close in both of those affairs. But there's no denying the benefit and edge that comes with having an a true 7-foot presence down low, versus not having one at all.
All due respect to CMB and Mamu, who have done their part to contribute in the games where Poeltl was missing, but it's better to have all three active and see which combinations work against Orlando's imposing size and length (with guys like Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr., Goga Bitadze, and Tristan Da Silva waiting on the other side).
It will be an interesting angle to keep note of in the high-stakes affair, considering the gap between the Raptors' fifth place at time of writing and the teams inching for that spot like the blazing Hawks, 76ers, and aforementioned Magic, still clawing to fight their way up the standings. To me, Toronto and Orlando have very similar trajectories and I think they matchup quite well with each other all things considered.
Though we shall see how the presence of Jakob Poeltl does for the Raptors' chances in this one.