The Toronto Raptors are facing the possibility of being without their starting forward Serge Ibaka for the deciding Game 6 of the Conference Semi-Finals series against the Boston Celtics. Ibaka is currently dealing with an ankle injury, and the Raptors officially listed him questionable for the next meeting between the two teams. 

Ibaka suffered the injury during Monday night’s 89-111 loss to the Celtics in Game 5, which saw Toronto fall 2-3 in the series. He fell awkwardly during a defensive play in the second half and was forced to exit the match. The 30-year-old Ibaka initially thought the injury wasn’t serious, as he felt like he could have continued playing, but the ankle got worse on Tuesday. 

“I’m just trying to see how I feel tomorrow,” Ibaka told reporters.

Serge Ibaka has been solid for Toronto during the Celtics series, averaging 11.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game. His shooting was particularly on point, as he averaged 51.2 percent from the field and 50.0 percent behind the 3-point arc.

Knowing how crucial Ibaka might be for the Raptors’ chances to avoid elimination, the team’s head coach Nick Nurse is optimistic about having a Congolese-Spanish basketball player at his disposal on Wednesday.

“We’ll just wait and see on that,” said Nurse. “But same as always, if he’s there, we’ll play him. I think there’s a good chance of that. If not, we’ll move on to the next guy and get them ready to go.”

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Toronto Raptors will be missing their two key starters for the upcoming stretch of games. The team announced over the weekend that All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry and forward Serge Ibaka are out with injuries.

Lowry and Ibaka both went down in the second quarter of Friday’s 122-104 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

According to the team’s announcement, Lowry suffered a broken thumb and will be out at least two weeks. The team plans to reevaluate him after that.

Ibaka, on the other hand, sprained his ankle after trying to contest a layup. He is currently listed as “out indefinitely,” with the team hoping the get a more clear timetable following further evaluation.

Kyle Lowry has been playing great at the start of the season, averaging 21.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.1 steals. On top of that, Lowry has been also shooting impressive 42.6 percent from the three-point line.

Serge Ibaka has been averaging 14.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

Toronto Raptors are currently second in the Eastern Conference with 6-2 record. They have a five-game stretch on the road in front of them, which starts against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The post Raptors’ Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka Suffer Injuries appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Toronto Raptors will be without power forward Serge Ibaka in the game against Atlanta Hawks. The team announced on Friday that they have suspended the player for having an altercation with a staff member, which happened after Wednesday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The 28-year-old should return for the Raptors’ first game in 2018, duel against the Milwaukee Bucks.

“Both parties have apologized. We’ve discussed this internally as a team, and we won’t be discussing it any further,” – said Raptors president Masai Ujiri in a statement. “Now we’re focused on moving forward together, and we look forward to having Serge back in the lineup.“

Serge Ibaka had a poor game in the Raptors loss against Thunder, having 7 points, 2 assists, and only 2 rebounds. It was a second straight loss for Raptors, who were previously on a six-game winning streak. The team is now sitting at the second spot in the Eastern Conference with a 23-10 record.

The Seattle SuperSonics, who later became Oklahoma City Thunder, were the team that drafted Ibaka in the NBA when they selected him with a 24th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. He stayed for one additional year in Europe, playing for Spain’s Ricoh Manresa, before joining the Thunder in 2009. With the Thunder, Ibaka flourished as a player, especially on the defensive end, being selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team for three years straight (from 2012 to 2014) and was NBA blocks leader in 2012 and 2013. He was traded in the 2016 offseason to the Orlando Magic, where he played for 56 games and tied his career high in points average with 15.1 points per game. He was traded at the beginning of 2017 to the Toronto Raptors. In the offseason, he signed on a three-year, $65 million contract extension with the team after averaging 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game in 23 games played.

The post Toronto Raptors Suspend Forward Serge Ibaka One Game for Violating Team Rules appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Toronto Raptors are facing the possibility of being without their starting forward Serge Ibaka for the deciding Game 6 of the Conference Semi-Finals series against the Boston Celtics. Ibaka is currently dealing with an ankle injury, and the Raptors officially listed him questionable for the next meeting between the two teams. 

Ibaka suffered the injury during Monday night’s 89-111 loss to the Celtics in Game 5, which saw Toronto fall 2-3 in the series. He fell awkwardly during a defensive play in the second half and was forced to exit the match. The 30-year-old Ibaka initially thought the injury wasn’t serious, as he felt like he could have continued playing, but the ankle got worse on Tuesday. 

“I’m just trying to see how I feel tomorrow,” Ibaka told reporters.

Serge Ibaka has been solid for Toronto during the Celtics series, averaging 11.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game. His shooting was particularly on point, as he averaged 51.2 percent from the field and 50.0 percent behind the 3-point arc.

Knowing how crucial Ibaka might be for the Raptors’ chances to avoid elimination, the team’s head coach Nick Nurse is optimistic about having a Congolese-Spanish basketball player at his disposal on Wednesday.

“We’ll just wait and see on that,” said Nurse. “But same as always, if he’s there, we’ll play him. I think there’s a good chance of that. If not, we’ll move on to the next guy and get them ready to go.”

The post Raptors’ Serge Ibaka Questionable for Deciding Game 6 against Celtics appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Toronto Raptors will be missing their two key starters for the upcoming stretch of games. The team announced over the weekend that All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry and forward Serge Ibaka are out with injuries.

Lowry and Ibaka both went down in the second quarter of Friday’s 122-104 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

According to the team’s announcement, Lowry suffered a broken thumb and will be out at least two weeks. The team plans to reevaluate him after that.

Ibaka, on the other hand, sprained his ankle after trying to contest a layup. He is currently listed as “out indefinitely,” with the team hoping the get a more clear timetable following further evaluation.

Kyle Lowry has been playing great at the start of the season, averaging 21.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.1 steals. On top of that, Lowry has been also shooting impressive 42.6 percent from the three-point line.

Serge Ibaka has been averaging 14.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

Toronto Raptors are currently second in the Eastern Conference with 6-2 record. They have a five-game stretch on the road in front of them, which starts against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The post Raptors’ Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka Suffer Injuries appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Toronto Raptors will be without power forward Serge Ibaka in the game against Atlanta Hawks. The team announced on Friday that they have suspended the player for having an altercation with a staff member, which happened after Wednesday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The 28-year-old should return for the Raptors’ first game in 2018, duel against the Milwaukee Bucks.

“Both parties have apologized. We’ve discussed this internally as a team, and we won’t be discussing it any further,” – said Raptors president Masai Ujiri in a statement. “Now we’re focused on moving forward together, and we look forward to having Serge back in the lineup.“

Serge Ibaka had a poor game in the Raptors loss against Thunder, having 7 points, 2 assists, and only 2 rebounds. It was a second straight loss for Raptors, who were previously on a six-game winning streak. The team is now sitting at the second spot in the Eastern Conference with a 23-10 record.

The Seattle SuperSonics, who later became Oklahoma City Thunder, were the team that drafted Ibaka in the NBA when they selected him with a 24th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. He stayed for one additional year in Europe, playing for Spain’s Ricoh Manresa, before joining the Thunder in 2009. With the Thunder, Ibaka flourished as a player, especially on the defensive end, being selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team for three years straight (from 2012 to 2014) and was NBA blocks leader in 2012 and 2013. He was traded in the 2016 offseason to the Orlando Magic, where he played for 56 games and tied his career high in points average with 15.1 points per game. He was traded at the beginning of 2017 to the Toronto Raptors. In the offseason, he signed on a three-year, $65 million contract extension with the team after averaging 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game in 23 games played.

The post Toronto Raptors Suspend Forward Serge Ibaka One Game for Violating Team Rules appeared first on SportzBonanza.