DeMar DeRozan will return to the Raptors next Thursday against the Hornets after missing 16 games with a groin injury, according to Yahoo's Marc Spears.
Raptors’ DeMar DeRozan to return from groin injury next Thursday
Toronto has done alright even while DeRozan missed the last 16 games.
Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
The fifth-year swingman collapsed on a drive to the basket on Nov. 28 in a loss to Dallas with an injury that was diagnosed as a torn tendon. Although the Raptors just lost their No. 1 seed in the East for the first time all season, they’ve managed remarkably well without him, going 11-6 in his absence. They are now 24-9.
DeRozan was the team's leading scorer when he went down (although Kyle Lowry has since surpassed him) at 19.4 points a game, although he was only shooting 39 percent from the field and 24 percent from the 3-point line. The Raptors offense has been fine without him, recently passing the Mavericks as the No. 1 in the league, but the team has missed DeRozan's gritty perimeter defense and his ability to get to the line in the fourth quarter, where he hits 82 percent of his foul shots.
Toronto has one more game before DeRozan could make his Thursday return, a road trip to Phoenix on Sunday. After facing the Suns, they'll play four straight Eastern Conference opponents with losing records at home before a showdown with the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 16 that could be crucial for determining who earns the No. 1 overall seed in the conference.
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