The Toronto Raptors are engaged in an intense interconference matchup against the New York Knicks. Toronto was down 80-59 at halftime, but their woes got worse after third-year forward Ochai Agbaji went down with an injury.
Raptors lose Ochai Agbaji to an untimely injury
Agbaji attempted to catch a lob from one of his teammates and took a hard fall on his hip. As a result, he needed to be helped off the court:
Ochai Agbaji will not return to tonight's Raptors-Knicks game after landing very hard while going for a lob on this play.
The team is describing it as right hip contusion.
Prayers up 🙏pic.twitter.com/tZXODtJq0F
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 28, 2024
The Raptors described Agbaji's injury as a right hip contusion. Hopefully, he will have a speedy recovery process. The 23-year-old is a prized bench piece and averages 5.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 0.8 steals through 20 games in 22.5 minutes of action.
Ochai Agbaji spent his first two years in the NBA with the Utah Jazz after the team selected him with the 14th overall pick in the 2022 Draft. His career got off to a respectable start. The former Kansas Jayhawks standout amassed 7.9 points per game and shot 35.5% on three-pointers during his rookie year.
He took somewhat of a step back during the first half of the 2023-24 season with the Jazz. Agbaji totaled 5.4 points per contest. Nevertheless, he is in the process of finding a groove with the Raptors after the team landed him at the NBA trade deadline.
Agbaji left the Knicks game having only played five minutes. Toronto will miss his services, but there are plenty of other serviceable players who can contribute. Rookie forward Gradey Dick led the team with 15 points midway through the third quarter.
The Raptors will do all they can to close the Knicks deficit in Agbaji's absence. Toronto is desperately looking for an answer amid a freezing-cold slump.
Can the Raptors snap their cold streak?
Toronto entered the New York matchup with a record of 23-49, which places them at 11th in the Eastern Conference standings. Unfortunately, the team has lost 11 games in a row. Their chances of a Play-In spot are slowly slipping away, but there remains time to go on a late-season run.
The Raptors will have nine more games left following their matchup against the Knicks. If the squad can lock in and execute, they will have a chance to compete in the postseason. A lot of the team's success depends on the return of their absent stars.
Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett are tending to personal matters. Meanwhile, star forward Scottie Barnes is recovering from a broken finger. Toronto will get a hefty boost once he returns.
The 22-year-old was averaging 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game through 60 games. Head Coach Darko Rajakovic believes Barnes has a bright future in the league, although his compliments came in the form of a heated monologue after a past game.
“How is it possible that Scottie Barnes, who is an All-Star caliber player in this league…he goes every single time to the rim with force and tries to get to the rim without flopping and not trying to get foul calls — he gets two free throws for the whole game!” Rajakovic exclaimed after Toronto's Jan. 9th loss against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Soon enough, Barnes will be back, and he and his squad can continue to make a push for the postseason.
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