Jonas Valancuinas wil miss the remainder of the Toronto Raptors versus Miami Heat second round Eastern Conference series, after spraining his right ankle in Game 3.
Losing Valanciunas is a tough blow for the Raptors, who will miss the 15 points on 55 per cent shooting, 12.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks he’s contributed in the playoffs. The Raptors have been in this situation before during the season, when they lost Valanciunas for a stretch of 17 games in November and December, but were still able to go 11-6.
Valanciuans went out at the 8:53 mark of the 3rd quarter, after scoring 16 points (7-12 FG) and 12 rebounds in 22 minutes of action. The Heat also lost their starting centre, Hassan Whiteside, after he sprained his right MCL in the second quarter. Whiteside hasn’t been nearly as effective as Valanciunas, but he’s still a valuable asset because of his shot blocking ability.
Bismack Biyombo and Amare Stoudemire should see their minutes increase, with both team’s centres facing injuries. Valanciunas at just 24-years-old, still has a long career in front of him. While Whiteside has the risk of worsening his injury if he plays, something that doesn’t favour well for any upcoming free agent.
All stats for this article are from NBA.com
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