Raptors guard Norman Powell made his return Wednesday after missing six weeks with a separated shoulder, seeing 14 minutes of action and working hard to regain his usual game shape. His return gave a much-needed boost of energy to a team already dealing with injuries to Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka and others.
“Yeah, (Powell) just was really doing a good job of fulfilling a role, playing hard on (defense), taking the open situations on offense, not forcing the issue as much (as he has in the past),” coach Nick Nurse said postgame, according to Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun.
“It’s what we need him to do, especially now coming off the injury. He just needs to kind of play hard and settle in on the offensive end.”
Powell gave a solid effort in his first 12 games this season, with the 25-year-old suffering his shoulder injury on Nov. 5. Powell has averaged 4.8 points per game this season, shooting 46% from the field and 38% from behind the arc.
His return gives Toronto another backcourt option behind Lowry and Danny Green when healthy, with Fred VanVleet and C.J. Miles earning more playing time in his absence.
Here are some other notes from the Atlantic Division tonight:
- Locating trades to improve a struggling bench could be difficult for the Sixers, Rich Hofmann of The Athletic writes. Philly sports a dominant core three of Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler and Joel Embiid in their starting five, but the team’s bench has mostly struggled this season. The Sixers currently hold a 21-12 record and could look to deal second-year guard Markelle Fultz as the Feb. 7 trade deadline nears.
- Raptors head coach Nick Nurse was fined $15K by the NBA on Wednesday for public criticism of the officiating, the league announced in a press release. Nurse’s comments came after Toronto’s 95-86 loss to the Nuggets on Sunday. “It’s ridiculous,” Nurse said at the time, upset that Kawhi Leonard wasn’t getting more calls on drives to the rim. “The guy is one of the best players in the league. He doesn’t complain. They just turn their head and go the other way, and it’s been going on all year.”
- Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports compares the Nets to the hungry, inexperienced Lakers team before LeBron James joined the franchise, describing the similarities between the two in detail. Brooklyn, recovering from several underwhelming seasons, has won seven straight games around their young core as they await a potential future star free agent.
Other than Fultz and Chandler and their draft picks, the sizers don’t have many assets on the roster
For 2019, Butler’s valuation range will be quite broad. . . someone will go max because of his conditioning. . . Sixers may let themselves get outbid, and invest in depth and fit.
I am not aware that Simmons or Embiid has a good pairing within the team. Examples– the sons-of-pros Splash bros, or Barnes and Green being complementary. Or, both Irving and James thriving on hero-ball.
Simmons/Covington, and Embiid/Saric complemented each other pretty well but that went away. Butler is a solo guy.
The Sixers traded two pair for three of a kind, a better hand in poker, but “big 3s” are historically a problematic arrangement in basketball.
It adds up to another reshuffling in 2019, pending playoff success of course. But everyone is thriving with Leonard in Toronto instead of carrying Derozan. Sixers meanwhile have six players under contract for next season.
That was all nonsense….all of it! You basically just strung words together and made it sound like prophecy. Here let me try
Toronto will not re-sign Kawhi as he doesnt fit with Delon Wright, so they will trade Kawhi to Oklahoma for Jerami Grant and a 2029 2nd round pick (conditional on the weather being in the mid 70’s on that day, if not it will become a 2035 3rd round pick in the NFL draft). After Siakam gets hepatitis on a trip to Bali, he retires from the NBA and Ibaka gets a nasty case of gout and also retires. Meanwhile, whooping cough makes a return and Canada decides it’s better to end all sports teams….Toronto only had 3 players contracted anyway, because management decided that players must be paired with someone specifically and therefore renounced and waived all but 3 players, whom they decided were a good match
Woah, that’s some eye opening stuff right there
Yeah you’re way off
Now that I review my post, I see that it is. . .
Mind-blowing!
I keep being right about the Sixers. We’ll see.
If Butler winds up in Miami anyway, like the universe wanted, I should charge for this.
I might be wrong about the Sixers being a “big3”. . . I was led by the article. . . Redick could make it a big4. That would be good fortune. Envy usually wins among the 3 on big3 teams, and the team has quickly revolved around Butler so that encourages the tendency.
Can’t stop with the crystal ball
This reply made as much sense as your original post. I’m going to look into my crystal ball……. you’re from the Philippines
WOW! I cant stop with these prophecies
lol Philly fans stay ready for it!
Trading Fultz for Jabari Parker could be helpful
Sixers have no cap space, how does adding $12M work in this deal?
Well Fultz is making a buck!
SMH
Philly has no cap space, and really only minimum salary players that are trade pieces other than Fultz. Buyout market is much more likely than trade market for Sixers this year.
Either they package Fultz plus Chandler and add alot of picks for a player in the 20 million range or they use the MLE or Min in the buyout market. Those would be the only likely options