Jonas Valanciunas Injury: Updates on Raptors Forward's Back Sprain and Return

Updates from Friday, Mar. 21

The Raptors supplied an update on Valanciunas:

Updates from Wednesday, March 19:

The Raptors announce Jonas Valanciunas will miss tonight's game against the Pelicans:

Original Text:

It has been an impressive 2013-14 season for the Toronto Raptors, and the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference is very much in play. 

However, Toronto received some unwelcome news on Tuesday during a game with the Atlanta Hawks, via the team’s media relations Twitter page:

Jonas Valanciunas had 16 points, five rebounds and an assist behind 5-of-7 shooting from the field and 6-of-7 shooting from the free-throw line before exiting the game against the Hawks.

On the season, Valanciunas is averaging 10.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and nearly a block a night as the Raptors' center. Considering how tight the race for the No. 3 seed is between Toronto, the Chicago Bulls, the Washington Wizards and the Brooklyn Nets, losing the big man would be of concern for Toronto.

What’s more, back issues can often linger, especially for an NBA center dealing with the physical demands of the position every night. Keep an eye on Valanciunas going forward.