The injury report for the Raptors looks like a grocery list for someone who forgot they were hosting a party. RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, Ja'Kobe Walter, and Chucky Hepburn are all out tonight.
Collin Murray-Boyles is also missing, which is a lot of names to see on a piece of paper at once. Barrett is supposedly close to returning, but "close" is a relative term (like how my house is close to a Shoppers Drug Mart if I drive fast enough).
The Sacramento Kings are also hurting, which is fair. Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray are sitting this one out on the second night of a back-to-back. Even Precious Achiuwa is questionable, which reminds me of the time he was on our team and we all wondered what would happen next.
Scoring a lot is better than not
Somehow, in the middle of all this walking wounded energy, the Raptors recently put together their highest scoring game in the history of the franchise. Immanuel Quickley has been moving very fast (which makes sense given his name).
The points just kept happening, one after another, until there were more points than ever before. It is strange to think about history being made on a Tuesday or Wednesday. We usually expect history to happen on a weekend (or at least during a parade).
Speed is a funny thing in basketball. If you run around enough, eventually the ball goes in the hoop.
Standing in the corners
While the roster looks a bit depleted, Gradey Dick remains a bright spot in the corner. He is currently shooting 49 percent on corner threes (which is nearly half).
If you stand in the corner of a room, people usually ask if you are okay. If Gradey does it, he gets three points and a high five. We have a few elite corner shooters now, which is a nice thing to have when the rest of the world feels precarious.
Dreams and nostalgia
A lot of fans are saying they are living off a hope and a dream this season. That is a difficult way to pay rent.
It feels a bit like looking back at Kyle Lowry’s last moments on a Raptors court. We spend a lot of time thinking about the past because the past has a set ending. The present is just a lot of questionable hamstrings and guys named Chucky.
Hopefully some of those dreams come true tonight, or at least we don't lose by forty. My uncle says if you keep expectations low, you can never be disappointed (but he also thinks we should bring back Joey Graham).