Key Player Could Make Injury Return in Toronto Raptors vs. LA Clippers

The Raptors could see one of their top players back in action against the Clippers.

Toronto Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley (5) moves the ball against Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) and guard Norman Powell (24) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Clippers have won three-straight games, handily beating the Sacramento Kings 107-98 on Friday night to go 5-4 early into the 2024-25 season.

The Clippers move onto the second leg of a back-to-back, heading home to face the Toronto Raptors. Norman Powell led LA in scoring for the fourth straight game on Friday, dropping 31 points and 12 rebounds, now averaging 25.7 points per game on the year.

LA has surprised many this season, looking impressive despite missing star forward Kawhi Leonard. With one of the NBA's top defensive units, the Clippers will look to dominate a struggling 2-7 Raptors squad.

Toronto has lost six of its last seven but could get a boost in Saturday's matchup in the Intuit Dome. Standout guard Immanuel Quickley has been upgraded from "doubtful" to "questionable," as many expect him to return from an eight-game absence.

Darko Rajakovic said IQ went through practice and they are hopeful he plays tomorrow vs. Clippers. Same for Mogbo.

— (((Eric Koreen))) (@ekoreen) November 8, 2024

Quickley suffered a pelvic contusion in Toronto's season opener and has not returned since. Quickley got off to a hot start, scoring 13 points in just 14 minutes before exiting the game, and the Raptors have desperately waited for one of their top offensive talents to return since.

Toronto's Davion Mitchell has started in Quickley's place since his injury as a viable replacement but the Raptors are expected to be noticeably better with Quickley back in the lineup.

“Basketball is not a difficult game at all, people make it difficult.”

“At the end of the day, you got to score more points than the other team, play defence, play offence, and put the round thing in the brown thing.”

Immanuel Quickley keeping it simple. 😅 pic.twitter.com/Wopqd637Dr

— Omer Osman (@OmerOsman200) November 9, 2024

The Raptors are already sixth in the NBA in points per game (118.0), so getting Quickley back could boost their offense even more. Especially on the second leg of a back-to-back, Saturday's matchup will not be a cakewalk for the Clippers.

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