The Toronto Raptors will welcome forward Serge Ibaka back in the starting lineup, while forwards Norm Powell and C.J. Miles remain out for Friday's showdown against the Boston Celtics, according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps. Shooting guard Danny Green, who exited Wednesday's game against the Detroit Pistons in the third quarter, will be active after dealing with lower-back stiffness.
Green took a hard screen and was grabbing his back near the hip area before heading into the locker room to be evaluated. The Raptors shortly ruled him out for the rest of the game, as they had a big lead on the Pistons, one that eventually evaporated and ultimately backfired after a Reggie Bullock shot resulted in a loss against former coach Dwane Casey.
Ibaka sat out against the Pistons, but was not listed on the injury report for Friday's mettle-tester against the Celtics. Ibaka has exceeded expectations so far this season, scoring in double figures in each of his first 13 games, now averaging 17.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 26.6 minutes per game.
The big man had been a shadow of himself during his year-and-change stint with the team, but new Raptors head coach Nick Nurse has managed to utilize him in a way that gets the most of his skill set. Ibaka has dialed back his 3-point shooting and been more opportunistic inside, making use of his athleticism to finish at the rim and get easy dump-down mid-range openings.
Green however, has faded into darkness, as his minutes have taken a massive dip, going from the low 30s to the low 20s in the last five games, as he has failed to reach double figures scoring in each of them.
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