Gary Trent Jr. Details His Miserable Week of Illness: 'I Lost Like 8 Pounds'

Toronto Raptors guard Gary Trent Jr. said he battled a fever of 102 during the first two games of the series against the Philadelphia 76ers

Aaron Rose | Apr 21, 2022

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

What Gary Trent Jr. showed Wednesday night in Game 3 only further reinforced how miserable his first two games of the series must have really been.

The past week had been a nightmare for the 23-year-old Toronto Raptors shooting guard. He'd been battling a strange non-COVID virus that wouldn't go away. At times, he said, his fever reached 102 degrees Fahrenheit (38.9° Celcius).

"Lost like eight pounds," he said. "(Fever) was going from 102 to 100 to 99, that type of thing."

In the first two games of the series, Trent was essentially unplayable. He scored nine points in Game 1 and zero in Game 2, mustering a combined 36 minutes in Philadelphia. As Raptors coach Nick Nurse said following Game 2, he never should have been out there.

Even heading into Game 3, there was a concern that his lungs wouldn't be physically ready for the toll of a playoff game. But whatever had been plaguing him certainly wasn't causing any problems Wednesday night in a 24-points outing that included some pesky defense and a pair of early steals against the Philadelphia 76ers.

"This is the best that I’ve felt in the last week," he said post-game. "Slowly but surely I was getting my body back, getting my wind back, that’s about it. Just trying to push through.”

With Toronto down 3-0, this series is virtually over for the Raptors, but the goal now is to just extend the playoffs for as long as possible and gain that invaluable post-season experience. If Trent is healthy, Toronto is still in a position to take a game or two off Philly.

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