The Toronto Raptors will once again be fairly shorthanded as they get set to take on the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. Both Jakob Poeltl and Immanuel Quickley have officially been ruled out, the Raptors announced. Poeltl continues to work his way back from an ankle sprain that’s kept him out for over two weeks now. He has begun doing on-court activities with the team but has yet to be fully cleared to play. He said his ankle is feeling much better but he’s waiting on the team’s official go-ahead before returning to action. Quickley, meanwhile, injured his right thigh during Toronto’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. He did play through the injury but began aggravating him Thursday. He did not participate in the team’s practice but will accompany the team on its upcoming road trip where he’s expected to return at some point, Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said. Scottie Barnes will take back the lead point guard role, Rajaković added, with Dennis Schröder helping to lead the second unit. Kira Lewis Jr. or Jordan Nwora may see their first Raptors playing time in Toronto’s backcourt with Quickley sidelined. As for the Clippers, Ivica Zubac remains out with a right calf strain. His injury has forced Los Angeles to turn to Mason Plumlee in the starting lineup who will likely matchup against Jontay Porter for Toronto. Daniel Theis has seen his playing time increase as a big off the bench for the Clippers. Moussa Diabaté also remains out for the Clippers with a fracture in his right hand. Copyright ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. All Rights Reserved.
