Toronto Raptors at Sacramento Kings Matchup: The long road trip begins

Jan 26, 2023 - 2:30 AM

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Who wants out and who doesn’t? Who’s getting traded at the deadline? Who do the Toronto Raptors want to add for the stretch run and at what position?

These days, we’ve gone from cheering wins and losses to only passing glances at what’s happening on the court. It only makes sense. The Raptors are the team in trade discussions around the league, and insiders are trying to suss out exactly what the internal dynamics of this team are and who the likeliest trade piece is.

This is where a calming voice like Thad Young is valuable. This week, Thad has been one of the few players who seems energized by the prospect of a seven-game road trip — one that will take Toronto right up to the aforementioned deadline, and that begins tonight against the Sacramento Kings.

Some chemistry would be nice, wouldn’t it? Thad has also preached that defense will be the saving grace for this team — which is obvious to anyone who’s watched the Raptors over the last two months. More positivity!

Tonight: a good test. The Kings are breaking out in a jam packed Western Conference, currently sitting all the way up in the three seed and proving themselves — at least offensively — that they can adapt to any matchup, averaging a league-best 120.3 points per game. Last time these two met in Toronto on December 14, the Kings came away with a narrow one-point win after dropping 36 points in two of the four quarters. The Raptors need to do better than that — and they know it.

They’ll get some help tonight, as OG Anunoby returns from injury and will re-join the starting lineup.

Banton is out with a hip injury. Now, here are the rest of the game details. Let’s watch.

Where to watch:

TSN, 10 PM ET

Lineups:

Toronto Raptors – Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr., OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam

Sacramento Kings – De’Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes, Keegan Murray, Domantas Sabonis

Injuries:

Toronto Raptors – Dalano Banton (out – hip), Otto Porter Jr. (out – foot)

Sacramento Kings – none