With the 150-122 win over the Brooklyn Nets last Sunday, the Toronto Raptors completed their first ever playoff series sweep. The Raptors are now set to face the Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs.
Despite the victory, Raptors’ Kyle Lowry was forced to leave Game 4 with an apparent left foot injury. Lowry suffered the injury after turning his left ankle as he landed on Nets guard Chris Chiozza’s foot.
Following the game, coach Nick Nurse informed the media that Lowry had undergone diagnostic imaging on the arch of his foot. He added that “You guys know how big a cog he is to this whole thing. He’s our most experienced, toughest leader. I don’t want to speculate and answer a million questions on whether he’s playing or not until we know whether he’s playing or not, and we’ve got a few days.”
Sportsnet analyst Alvin Williams, who spoke to Lowry, said “I’m 99.9 percent cure he’ll be ready to play, as he expressed when I talked to him earlier today.”
Even with the loss of Lowry, the Raptors did not slow down. This team has played without their stars on a number of occasions, and in the past as they’ve battled with injuries throughout the season. Midway through the third quarter, the Raptors had extended their lead to 27 points. Terence Davis finished the quarter with a buzzer-beating three to give the Raptors a 116-87 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Adding on, the Raptors’ Game 4 victory was one for the history books. The Raptors bench, led by Norman Powell’s 29 points, had a 100-point performance. This set a new NBA record. Additionally, Serge Ibaka added 27 points and 15 rebounds.
When asked about the 100 bench points, Norman Powell responded by saying “I think it’s cool, neat to have your name etched in the record book. It’s cool, I guess. [But] my main focus is winning… It’s a cool record to have but I’m not going to harp on it or think about it. On to the next.”
Norm Powell on the Raptors' NBA record 100 bench points: "I think it's cool, neat to have your name etched in the record book. It's cool, I guess. (But) my main focus is winning… It's a cool record to have but I'm not gonna harp on it or think about it. On to the next."
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) August 24, 2020
Then on to the next one it is. The Raptors will meet the Celtics for Game 1 of the 2020 Eastern Conference Semifinals tomorrow evening. Their quick sweep of Brooklyn has provided Nick Nurse and the entire coaching staff ample time to construct gameplans and for Lowry to get the necessary rest he needs prior to the start of the series.
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