The Toronto Raptors' rotation is going to look different against the Orlando Magic.
Head coach Dwane Casey announced that shooting guard DeMar DeRozan and center Jonas Valanciunas will both sit out Sunday's affair, per the Orlando Sentinel's Josh Robbins.
The team later announced that Norman Powell and Lucas "Bebe" Nogueira will start in their teammates' places.
As the Raptors have already locked up the top seed in the Eastern Conference and cannot catch the Houston Rockets for the best record in the league overall, Toronto's final three regular-season games will presumably be used to ensure its core players are in top physical form heading into the postseason.
In his ninth NBA campaign, DeRozan has averaged 23.1 points, 5.2 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game, while blossoming into an above-average playmaker and maintaining his exceptional ability to draw fouls and score in the mid-range.
Similarly, Valanciunas has seemingly taken a step forward despite a slightly smaller role. Though he's played a career-low 22.4 minutes per game, the big Lithuanian has been a double-double machine, averaging 12.6 points and 8.6 rebounds. Like DeRozan, Valanciunas has also improved his passing, generating a career-high 1.1 assists per game.
Even without two starters, the Raptors (57-22) should still be favored against the lackluster Magic (24-55). Toronto hasn't lost to Orlando since Feb. 3, 2017.
