Toronto Raptors Injury Report Against Denver Nuggets

The Toronto Raptors look to extend their winning streak to four Friday night against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. This marks the second contest of their five-game road trip, and the Raptors are looking to build off the momentum they’ve developed in the last three games to take down three-time MVP Nikola Jokic. 

After a rough stretch of six losses in eight games, Toronto has really turned around its play on both ends of the floor. Offensively, RJ Barrett is playing some of the best basketball of his career, averaging 22.1 points and 5.9 rebounds on 56.2% shooting and 38.6% from three over the last 11 games (via StatMuse). 

Defensively, Barrett has also been an aggressor that the perimeter defense has lacked outside of Defensive Player of the Year candidate Scottie Barnes. His co-star defensively this season has mostly been standout rookie Collin Murray-Boyles, who has missed the last nine straight games due to a thumb sprain, so Barrett’s ascension on both ends has been much needed for a striving Raptors team. 

While head coach Darko Rajakovic spoke about his hope for Murray-Boyles' availability against Jokic and the Nuggets, the official NBA injury report isn’t encouraging for his chances. 

Going into Denver, the former South Carolina Gamecock is listed as doubtful to play. He’s joined only by G-League participants, meaning the Raptors will be at full strength if Murray-Boyles can shake his doubtful tag. 

His defensive versatility is much needed for this dynamic Raptors defense. He joins Barnes in having the ability to guard anyone on the floor, regardless of position, especially in supplying depth in the front court when Jakob Poeltl is off the court. He started at center while Poeltl was out for 24 straight games due to a lower back strain, and the defensive rating with him in the starting lineup was one of the best of any five-man lineups from this season. 

As the regular season comes to a close, the Raptors are in a prime position to control their own destiny in the Eastern Conference standings watch. They currently sit in the fifth seed, just three games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for the fourth seed and home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Should the standings remain the same, Toronto would face Cleveland when the postseason begins, regardless of who has home-court advantage. Although it was before they traded for 11-time All-Star James Harden, the Raptors possess a record of 3-0 against Cleveland, so remaining in the four/five position would be the most ideal situation. 

On the contrary, they sit just two games ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers, who sit all the way down in the ninth seed. Surpassing the Cavaliers may be a difficult challenge, but it’s much more important for the Raptors to maintain their positioning so they don’t fall into the Play-In Tournament. Losing a couple of games may be all it takes for the Raptors to be jumped by multiple teams, so every one of their final 14 games has great implications for their postseason aspirations.