The Toronto Raptors haven't played well this season with Chris Bosh on the court. That doesn't mean they wouldn't like to have their All-Star back on the floor as soon as possible.
Bosh is likely to miss his second straight game Saturday night as the Raptors try to avoid a sixth consecutive loss when they visit the Memphis Grizzlies.Two nights after Bosh sprained his knee against the Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto's leading scorer missed his first game of the season as the Raptors (19-33) fell 101-92 at New Orleans on Friday.
Though Bosh, averaging a career high with 22.7 points and 9.5 rebounds, is listed as day-to-day, he could very well miss the Raptors' entire three-game road trip that concludes Tuesday night in Minnesota.
"It would be nice to have him, but there's nothing I can do it," interim coach Jay Triano told the Raptors' official Web site. "Some of these guys have to step up.
While injuries to key players Jermaine O'Neal and Jose Calderon have contributed to the Raptors' struggles this season, losing Bosh could make it even tougher for the club as they try to end their current skid with a fifth straight win over Memphis.
Even with Calderon back from a sore hamstring to run the offense, Toronto blew an 11-point second-half lead Friday in losing for the 12th time in 15 games. That losing stretch included a season-high seven-game skid from Jan. 11-21.
O'Neal scored 24 points, while Andrea Bargnani added 19 for the Raptors, who shot 50.7 percent form the field but succumbed to a 17-0 fourth-quarter run by New Orleans.
The veteran O'Neal is averaging 13.7 points on the season, but 22.0 on 58.3 percent shooting in his last three games.
Injuries kept O'Neal and Calderon (13 ppg, 8.5 apg) out of Toronto's 103-82 home win over Memphis on Jan. 9. Bosh had 32 in that contest, while Bargnani added 21 as the Raptors shot 55.6 percent against the Grizzlies.
Bargnani had 13 points and 11 boards as Toronto won 95-89 on Nov. 21, 2007 at Memphis to snap a four-game road losing streak to the Grizzlies.
Memphis (13-36) tries to rebound from a 126-105 home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. Rudy Gay scored 26 points, but the Grizzlies' bid for a third straight win failed as they allowed their second-most points this season.
"It's tough to come back from the deficit we forced ourselves into in the first half," said Gay of the Grizzlies, who trailed 33-20 after one quarter. "It was tough, but it also was a lesson."
Gay is averaging 18.8 points on the season and 23.0 in his last five games overall. He had 22 on 10-of-15 shooting in last month's loss to Toronto.
