OG Anunoby just can’t catch a break from injuries, man. The Toronto Raptors forward has shown significant progress this season, but he has been sidelined with an injury multiple times already. It seemed like he was headed on the right track after returning from a nasty finger injury prior to their game against the Miami Heat, but he was surprisingly benched for that game.

After the loss, Raptors coach Nick Nurse talked about OG Anunoby and the injury he suffered. According to Nurse, Anunoby was hobbling prior to the game after taking a knee to the thigh against the Orlando Magic. As a result, the team elected to bench him and let him rest for now. (via Josh Lewenberg)

“No update on Anunoby, who was a late scratch after getting hit on the thigh the other night. Nurse says he was limping pretty badly today, but tests didn’t reveal anything more serious than a contusion.”

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Contusions are often more annoying than serious to deal with, since it’s basically a bruise. However, it’s still pretty difficult to play through a contusion, especially if it’s a bad case. Had Anunoby played on that injured thigh, he could’ve also injured himself for trying to compensate for the pain. The Raptors did the right thing sitting OG out, even if it meant losing to the top-seeded Heat.

The Raptors as a whole are a rather curious bunch to deal with. After dealing Kyle Lowry to the Heat, many fans expected them to be a rebuilding team, especially after drafting rookie Scottie Barnes. An early slump all but proved that this should’ve been the right thing for them to do. However, time and time again, the team found ways to win games. After sitting at the ninth spot, they’ve climbed their way to the fifth seed, with a shot at skipping the play-in tournament completely.

At this point, the Raptors are playing with house money. They are way ahead of their supposed schedule, and a deep playoff run isn’t all that important to them. Still, giving experience to their young players is going to be valuable, so they’ll be looking to win as many games as they can when they make it there.