Kyle Lowry Ruled Out for Raptors vs. Grizzlies After Suffering Back Injury

Toronto Raptors star Kyle Lowry has been ruled out of his team's game against the Memphis Grizzlies with a back spasm.

Lowry played just eight minutes Monday before exiting, with four points and an assist.

This season hasn't gone according to plan for the Raptors. They started the year 2-8 before righting the ship a bit.

Ahead of the 2020-21 season, Toronto (10-13) re-signed Fred VanVleet but lost Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol to free agency. Pascal Siakam missed the first game of the season for disciplinary reasons and has thus far failed to live up to his status as a max-contract player.

A toe infection limited the 34-year-old earlier in the year. Otherwise, the 6'0" point guard has largely continued to stabilize Toronto on the court. Through 20 games, the six-time All-Star is averaging 17.6 points, 7.0 assists and 6.0 rebounds per game while shooting 42.2 percent from the field.

The Raptors can trust VanVleet to run the offense in Lowry's absence, and he's likely the long-term option at point guard since the former Villanova product is an unrestricted free agent this summer.