Kyle Lowry out again as Raptors take on wounded Rockets
The open-ended absence of Toronto Raptors star Kyle Lowry will not be closing on Monday.
Lowry has played 11 minutes since March 18, owing first to general fatigue and then to a back injury suffered on March 24. The Raptors are 2-3 in that five-game stretch – more of the same for a club that's been struggling since the calendar flipped to 2015 – and they'll be forced to take on the formidable Houston Rockets without him.
Once again listed as out, Lowry remains without a timetable for his return. Back spasms can linger and often come with indeterminate recovery timelines, and while this isn't all that surprising, then, it is concerning with the Raptors playing poorly so close to the playoffs.
If they don't beat HOU tonight, the Raptors will begin the playoffs (4/18) without a W over a winning team in almost 2 months (2/20).
— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) March 30, 2015
Prior to the injury, Lowry was culpable for the team's struggles, shooting 37.8 percent since the start of January and hitting 33.2 percent from outside.
Greivis Vasquez will start in Lowry's place once again and he'll kindly remind you that he once led the NBA in total assists. The Maryland product is averaging 11.1 points and 4.3 assists in 23 games as a starter this year, though many of those came alongside Lowry.
One bit of good fortune for the Raptors is that the Rockets will be without their own starting point guard, Patrick Beverley, who may be out for the season. They'll also be short Dwight Howard (resting on the second night of a back-to-back), Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas.