Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam left Saturday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies with a left shoulder strain and did not return, the team reported on their official Twitter account.
The Raptors wound up missing their All-Star forward to close the game as the Grizzlies eventually took the 109-99 road victory. Siakam played 30 minutes before leaving the game with the shoulder injury. He finished his night with 18 points on 8-of-21 shooting to go along with three rebounds and four assists.
Toronto has yet to give an official update on the extent of the Cameroonian's injury. However, with the Raptors' chances of even making the play-in tournament getting slimmer, especially with this latest defeat to Memphis. They probably don't have much incentive to rush him back to the floor if he isn't 100 percent.
Aside from Siakam, Toronto also lost Rodney Hood, who suffered a fracture of the second metacarpal on his left hand. The Raptors were already without a significant part of their core rotation on Saturday night. Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet sat out due to rest. Meanwhile O.G. Anunoby is still sidelined with a sprained left calf and Chris Boucher is still out due to a sprained MCL.
Theses recent string of injuries have definitely affected the Raptors' chances of fighting for a spot in the play-in. Yes, they have struggled throughout the season, but this latest Siakam injury is likely the final sign that they should already mail in the season.
This has been an extremely difficult campaign for the Raptors. Apart from having to play away from Toronto due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they dealt with several injuries, COVID-19 issues, and trade rumors throughout the season.