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Kyle Lowry is out for the Raptors after playing the All-Star Game on an injured wrist

ben rohrbach
Senior writer
Kyle Lowry participated in the 3-Point Shootout with an injured wrist. (Getty Images)
Kyle Lowry participated in the 3-Point Shootout with an injured wrist. (Getty Images)

This isn’t the way the Toronto Raptors wanted to start their late-season playoff push, not after limping into the All-Star break on a 5-12 skid and certainly not after acquiring Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker before the trade deadline to bolster their pursuit of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Not ever, actually.

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Just prior to a marquee matchup against the Boston Celtics — one of the two other teams in the Eastern Conference they’re chasing — the Raptors announced a right wrist injury would keep All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry out Friday and likely longer, with “further evaluation” required going forward.

Toronto coach Dwane Casey told reporters Lowry injured the wrist in a 90-85 win over the Charlotte Hornets entering the All-Star break. That news comes as somewhat of a surprise, since Lowry scored 19 points on 11 shots, including 5-of-9 shooting from distance, in 18 minutes of the All-Star Game.

“Every game from here on out, no matter who we play, it’s an important game, and it’s unfortunate we’ve got to go against the hot team in front of us, but we’ve got to face it,” said Casey, who told reporters Lowry underwent X-rays on his injured wrist Friday and will undergo more “images” next week. Casey added, “That’s a blow. That’s a huge blow for us, but it’s an opportunity for Cory [Joseph] and Delon [Wright] to step in and play. And I don’t know how long he’s going to be out.”

Asked if Lowry’s wrist could be healed in advance of back-to-back games against the Portland Trail Blazers and at the New York Knicks starting Sunday, Casey said, “No, it’s not a one-day thing. No.”

Lowry also participated in the NBA’s 3-Point Shootout, bowing out in the first round, and that’s where things get hairy for the Raptors. According to Sportsnet’s Michael Grange, Lowry was seen icing his injured wrist during warmups for the competition and on the bench during the All-Star Game.

Whether resting his injured wrist would have helped him be available against the Celtics remains unclear, but the optics of participating in an exhibition and then not being available for a game against a division rival with real playoff implications doesn’t look great on Lowry or the franchise.

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Lowry, who was wearing a brace on his wrist after Friday’s win over the Celtics, tried to explain:

That’s in the past now. The concern now is how many games Lowry will miss while the Raptors look to incorporate two new players into their rotation. This is the latest in Toronto’s season full of injuries.

In the process, they lost their grip on the East’s No. 2 and 3 seeds to the Celtics and Washington Wizards, and they only lead the Atlanta Hawks by a half-game for the fourth seed and homecourt advantage in the first round. The Raptors did better than any of the conference’s other challengers in retooling for the stretch run, but they still can’t manage to stop stacking the chips against themselves.

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Ben Rohrbach is a contributor for Ball Don’t Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!