The Toronto Raptors weren’t as active at the trade deadline as their Atlantic Division rivals, and it’s possible the recent stretch showed they have the players they need for a playoff run.
Toronto has won eight in a row and nine of its last 10 to move a game-and-a-half behind Philadelphia in the division, and it is just four games behind Miami for the best record in the Eastern Conference.
The Raptors host reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night.
Toronto made one trade, acquiring Thaddeus Young and Drew Eubanks from San Antonio for Goran Dragic and a protected first-round pick. The Raptors waived Eubanks after the deal.
Young, who was an impact player off the bench for Chicago last season, had played sparingly for the Spurs this season. He adds depth to the frontcourt, and he is a player general manager Bobby Webster had sought before.
“For us, we’ve followed him for a while. We’ve made a few attempts to get him via trade in prior years. We felt like this was a good situation where we’re bringing him into Toronto,” Webster said after the trade. “And we think this is a good situation where he really complements the core. He kind of complements more than tries to substitute what they’re doing. Part of the philosophy for us was maintaining and respecting what this group was doing, and (figuring out) how we can add to it.”
Young joins a talented group of big men that includes Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby and Scottie Barnes.
If Young plays against Denver, he will have to deal with Jokic, who is having another great season. He had 23 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists in a 108-102 loss at Boston on Friday night.
It was his 15th triple-double of the season and eight of those have come in the last 14 games.
The Nuggets were quiet at the deadline but made a deal a few weeks before when they acquired Bryn Forbes to shore up their outside shooting. Denver could get a significant upgrade when Jamal Murray (ACL) and Michael Porter Jr. (back surgery) return sometime this season.
Injuries have hit the Nuggets hard this season, and continue to do so. They played Friday without starting point guard Monte Morris, who entered concussion protocol after taking a hit in practice this week. He is unlikely to play Saturday.
The injuries have put a bigger workload on Jokic, and it showed Friday night when he committed nine of Denver’s 21 turnovers.
“That guy is the definition of fatigue,” coach Michael Malone said after Friday’s game. “He’s exhausted both mentally and physically.”
Bones Hyland and Facu Campazzo picked up Morris’ minutes against the Celtics and could continue to do so against Toronto. Campazzo has seen his playing time decrease with the arrival of Forbes and the improved play of Hyland.
Campazzo scored 14 points in 29 minutes in the loss to Boston, the most he has played since logging 20 in a win at Brooklyn on Jan. 26. He had accumulated just 26 minutes in his previous five games combined before Friday night.
–Field Level Media
