The undermanned Raptors had guard Dalano Banton sidelined due to a left ankle sprain in the midst of Toronto’s 112-104 win over the Heat on Wednesday, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter post).
Head coach Nick Nurse expressed pessimism about the situation, stating that the ankle seems concerning as per Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports (source on Twitter). Nurse mentioned that Banton will undergo further evaluations to assess the injury’s severity.
The sophomore guard from Nebraska has been posting averages of 6.4 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists for the Raptors off the bench in only 11.2 minutes per game. Despite this, he had a breakout game on Monday, registering a career-best 27 points.
Here are the latest updates from the Atlantic Division:
- Guard Fred VanVleet of the Raptors made his comeback for Toronto against Miami after battling a severe cold. He confirmed that his COVID-19 tests continue to be negative, as reported by Lewenberg’s tweets. “It was tough, but I hope the worst is over; I’m just glad to be back,” VanVleet stated. He scored 23 points on 7-of-21 shooting in 39 minutes.
- Sixers guard James Harden shared positive updates on his recovery from a tendon strain, per Derek Bodner’s (Tweet report). Harden mentioned he is progressing according to the initial one-month rehab timeline. “We have a plan,” Harden stated, as per Gina Mizell from The Philadelphia Inquirer (source on Twitter). “We are sticking to our strategy. Overall, I’m feeling good.”
- Key reserve Malcolm Brogdon is expected to return to action for the Celtics after making significant progress in his recovery from a tight right hamstring, noted The Athletic’s Jared Weiss (statement on Twitter). The 6’5″ veteran has been out of action since November 9.
Image Credit: Dalano Banton @ Instagram
