This is bad news for Toronto.
In the first quarter of their game in Detroit, Gasol was trying to get back on defense, started grabbing his hamstring, and quickly left the game.
Marc Gasol, grabbing his leg, signals for a stoppage. Raptors call timeout, and he limps straight to the locker room
— Dan Feldman (@DanFeldmanNBA) December 19, 2019
He will not return tonight.
Update: Marc Gasol (left hamstring strain) will not return.
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) December 19, 2019
We don’t know about the severity of the injury, but hamstrings can linger and teams tend to be cautious in bringing players back from those.
If Gasol misses much time it would be a real blow to the Raptors. Gasol has been playing his best ball of the season of late and is critical to the Raptors’ success — they are +12.5 per 100 possessions when he is on the court. He brings a combination of size, defensive IQ, rebounding, and passing that Toronto does not have in another big man.
Serge Ibaka would start at the five and Chris Boucher would get more run behind him.