By Canadian Press

Toronto Raptors to face Chicago Bulls without all-star guard Kyle Lowry

Dec 30, 2018 | 2:00 PM

TORONTO — A sore lower back sidelined Toronto’s Kyle Lowry for another game Sunday.

The Raptors played for the seventh time in eight games without their all-star point guard when they hosted the Chicago Bulls.

“You’re always concerned,” coach Nick Nurse said. “You want an all-star player back as soon as possible. Any of our guys, we want them back as soon as possible. I think we’re positive and hopeful that it’s going in the right direction and we’ll see him back soon.”

The Raptors are 3-3 without Lowry, who’s averaging 14.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 9.8 assists in 30 games this season.

His absence was more bad news for an injury-bitten Raptors team already missing centre Jonas Valanciunas, who had surgery for a dislocated thumb on Dec. 13 and was expected to miss at least four weeks.

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While Lowry’s absence meant more Fred VanVleet and Delon Wright, it also throws Nurse’s player rotations out of whack.

“Kyle and Fred got a lot of time together, we played ’em pretty much exclusively late-game last year as a combination, so there’s that missing,” Nurse said prior to tipoff Sunday. “And then Fred and Delon played kind of exclusively as a duo together in that second unit last year. So they’re sort of each out of their own position of a little bit of comfort I think.

“Fred relied on Kyle, Delon relied on Fred, and just kind of let them share things a little bit. Now it’s a little bit different scenario.”

Nurse said he believed Lowry was “coming to the end” of his back troubles.

Lori Ewing , The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Toronto Raptors to face Chicago Bulls without all-star guard Kyle Lowry

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