The Toronto Raptors will finally have their ideal starting frontcourt of Jonas Valanciunas and Serge Ibaka back in action for their game against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night.
JV/Ibaka back tonight. Will be fascinating to see how Casey manages lineups. Even in 10man rotation, 2 of Siakam/Bebe/FVV/OG/Poeltl left out
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) November 1, 2017
Valanciunas has missed the Raptors' last four games after suffering a sprained ankle against the Philadelphia 76ers. He has started and finished just one game all season, which was the season opener against the Chicago Bulls. He had 23 points and 15 rebounds in that game.
Meanwhile, Ibaka was sidelined for the team’s most recent game against the Portland Trail Blazers due to a swollen knee. Ibaka is currently the Raptors’ second-leading scorer this season with 15 points per game.
The Raptors coped very well without Ibaka and Valanciunas as the beat the Blazers on the road, 99-85. Lucas Nogueira stepped into the starting lineup to put up an impressive performance which saw him score 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting with nine rebounds, two steals, and five blocks.
The Raptors also got timely contributions from second-year big men Jakob Poeltl and Pascal Siakam while Valanciunas was out of the lineup. But with both Valanciunas and Ibaka back in the fold for the team, Nogueira, Poeltl, and Siakam will most likely see their minutes significantly reduced moving forward.
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