4h ago
The Toronto Raptors will be without All-Star forward Pascal Siakam for an undisclosed period of time due to the league’s health and safety protocols.
The announcement of Siakam’s upcoming absence came on the heels of the team’s statement that head coach Nick Nurse and five other members of the Raptors’ coaching staff would also miss time for the same reason.
Toronto is one of the few teams this season that have yet to have any games postponed due to coronavirus health and safety protocols. They currently have four games remaining in the first half of the season before the upcoming All-Star break that begins on March 5.
The rest of their first-half schedule is as follows.
- Friday, Feb. 26, vs. Houston Rockets, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Sunday, Feb. 28, vs. Chicago Bulls, 7:00 p.m. ET
- Tuesday, Mar. 2, vs. Detroit Pistons, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Thursday, Mar. 4 at Boston Celtics, 7:00 p.m. ET
The first of those four games will be tonight (Friday) against the Houston Rockets, where the Raptors will be without Siakam, Nurse and the five other members of the coaching staff. Assistant coach Sergio Scariolo will assume head coaching duties in Nurse’s absence, according to the team.
Following a slow start the season, Siakam was getting back into All-Star form prior to this hurdle, averaging 20.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game. The Raptors currently stand in at 16-17, one game below .500 in a four-way tie for fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
NBA.com will continue to provide updates on this developing situation.
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