Raptors' Kyle Lowry Suffers Ankle Injury vs. Knicks; Reportedly Not Serious
Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry suffered a right ankle injury during Monday's game against the New York Knicks, but Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN cited sources who said the "belief is that it's not serious."
Wojnarowski also reported Lowry was undergoing testing on the injury.
Prior to the 2018-19 season, the 32-year-old had been able to maintain relatively good health since arriving in Toronto. He appeared in at least 70 games in four of the past five seasons, although a broken wrist limited him to 60 games in 2016-17.
This season has been tougher from a health standpoint, though. He missed four games in December because of a thigh injury. After playing one game following that issue, he was then sidelined for six games with a sore lower back and received pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory injections.
It's been another solid performance for the five-time All-Star in the first year of the post-DeMar DeRozan era. Lowry is averaging 14.8 points and 9.1 assists in 56 games this season, helping the Raptors to a 49-21 record, good for second place in the Eastern Conference.
Even with the Villanova product out, the Raptors should be able to continue winning games as they fight for home-court advantage. A roster featuring Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, Marc Gasol and Pascal Siakam has more than enough talent to remain competitive in the East.
Toronto's ultimate goal is to deliver the franchise's first championship, so it is important for the team to make sure Lowry is healthy before having him return to the court. While the Raptors should be able to survive without him during the regular season, he is expected to be a vital piece come playoff time.
