Toronto Raptors star point guard Fred VanVleet has reportedly exited Tuesday night's game against the Los Angeles Clippers at home and will not return, per Marc J. Spears of ESPN.
Raptors say Fred VanVleet, lower back stiffness, will not return.
VanVleet ruled out late in the contest when the Clippers were virtually assured of a victory. The Raptors guard started the game but did not move very well in the first half. He would play in the second half but for only four minutes. Toronto did not rule him out until the fourth quarter, which was perhaps some sort of a good sign that his injury is something that isn't serious and much more manageable than it looked.
VanVleet played only a total of 23 minutesi n the 124-113 loss to the Clippers, scoring just four points on 2-for-7 shooting from the field to go with seven assists and two rebounds.
In case VanVleet needed to miss time to recover from his back injury, the Raptors will get the likes of Gary Trent Jr., OG Anunoby, and Scottie Barnes more minutes with some trickling down to Malachi Flynn.
The Raptors will have a full day of rest Thursday before hosting Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies Thursday.
VanVleet entered the Clipper game leading the Raptors in both points per game (19.0) and assists per contest (6.0). He hasn't been shooting the ball well so far in the 2022-23 NBA season, but he will always be among the most reliable players on the team together with Pascal Siakam, who both have championship experience.
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