Cason Wallace and the Thunder will aim to avenge their 103-101 home loss to Brandon Ingram and the Raptors on Jan. 25.
The Toronto Raptors (34-23, 5th in Eastern Conference) host the Oklahoma City Thunder (44-14, 1st in Western Conference) on Tuesday at Scotiabank Arena.
These two teams will collide after resting on Monday, and both teams enter Tuesday having won four of their last five. The Raptors got past the Milwaukee Bucks by an emphatic 122-94 score on Sunday, and the Thunder slowed down a red-hot Cleveland Cavaliers team and secured a 121-113 win at Paycom Center.
Here are three key storylines to know heading into this matchup on Tuesday.
1. The Thunder’s depth is stepping up when it matters the most: The most impressive aspect of the Thunder’s win over the Cavaliers was not the win itself but doing so against a Cleveland team that had won 12 of its last 13 games while missing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdomen) and Jalen Williams (hamstring). Both will be out again on Tuesday, and Chet Holmgren (back) and Alex Caruso (ankle) are questionable, meaning Oklahoma City will have to dig deep into their depth to come through once again. There have been some encouraging signs, such as Isaiah Joe scoring 22 points in the win over the Cavs and Cason Wallace averaging 12.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.4 steals per game in February. It will be all hands on deck for the Thunder on Tuesday in Toronto.
2. How can the Raptors manage without Jakob Poeltl? The Thunder might be limited in terms of depth, but the Raptors will also be missing a key contributor in Jakob Poeltl. The veteran big man started in the win over the Bucks on Sunday, but with Tuesday’s game being the first half of a back-to-back set, the Raptors are being cautious. Rookie Collin Murray-Boyles, who has been trusted with a big role in the frontcourt due to his defensive versatility, and Sandro Mamukelashvili are the candidates to see more minutes at center. However, this could pose a problem for Toronto, especially if Holmgren is ultimately available for OKC.
3. Defense, Defense, Defense: Injuries aside, a common thread between these teams is defensive prowess. The Thunder enter this game with the best defensive rating in the NBA at 106.1, but the Raptors aren’t far behind at 111.7, which is the sixth-best mark in the NBA and third-best in the East. The Thunder have been forced to shift their game plan to a more defensive approach of late while shorthanded. Meanwhile, defense has been a calling card for Toronto all year, with the length of players like Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram, as well as the impressive play of Murray-Boyles, who should get another start at center with Poeltl sidelined. Points will be at a premium tonight in Toronto.
