The Toronto Raptors have updated us on the status of combo-forward and defensive specialist DeMarre Carroll.
Carroll left Wednesday’s Game 5 late in the third quarter with an apparent left wrist injury after colliding with Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic. Carroll came down hard on the wrist while trying to brace himself from the ensuing fall.
Here’s the play in question:
Carroll immediately had x-rays performed on the wrist, which were negative. After an MRI this morning also came up negative, the team announced it will list Carroll as questionable for tomorrow’s Game 6 in Miami.
The team also said it will be treating Carroll symptomatically, which likely means he will be a game-time decision. As the Raptors so often do, his final status for Game 6 likely won’t be known until the last possible minute.
Carroll spoke about the injury at practice this afternoon, and had some encouraging words:
Expect to see DeMarre Carroll in uniform tomorrow. “I’ll have a lot of say, lets put it that way. If it ain’t broke, I’m ready to play”
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) May 12, 2016
Carroll: “I told (Alex McKechnie), lets wrap a shoelace around my wrist and see what happens”
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) May 12, 2016
Carroll has been instrumental in helping the Raptors secure a 3-2 series lead against the Heat in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Carroll has acted as the primary defensive stopper against Heat star Dwyane Wade, all while putting up 9.7 points and 4.1 rebounds through the first 12 games of the playoffs.
If Carroll is unable to play, it will be the second member of the Raptors’ starting lineup to go down to injury this series. Centre Jonas Valanciunas is out the rest of the series with a sprained ankle suffered in Game 3.
Follow Matt Jamieson on Twitter @mattjamieson12
