Lowry enjoying by way of ache; Kawhi ‘feeling good’

7:58 PM ET

Tim BontempsESPN

MILWAUKEE — A lot has been manufactured from Kawhi Leonard’s occasional limp throughout Video games three and four of the Jap Convention finals. And but, in a convention name with reporters Wednesday forward of Thursday’s Recreation 5 at Fiserv Discussion board, Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse maintained that his star might be prepared when the ball goes up.

“He is feeling good,” Nurse mentioned. “No issues at this level. He is good.”

Nurse wasn’t fairly able to say the identical, nonetheless, about star level guard Kyle Lowry, who has been battling a thumb harm on his left (non-shooting) hand that he suffered through the convention semifinals towards the Philadelphia 76ers.

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Lowry has been carrying a specifically designed oven mitt since to attempt to pace the therapeutic course of, however Nurse admitted the All-Star guard is enjoying by way of ache.

“Kyle’s hand isn’t nice,” Nurse mentioned. “You realize, he is — it is harm and it is sore and it causes him quite a lot of ache. However he appears to have the ability to handle it by way of the sport and do what he can do.

“He is clearly scoring and enjoying nice on high of the opposite issues he at all times does, and we’re actually [seeing] a heck of quite a lot of toughness and once more, the spirit that he simply desires to be on the market and assist his group any approach he can.”

For Lowry on Tuesday evening in Recreation four, that meant scoring 12 fast factors within the first quarter to assist the Raptors get a lead, then one other six late within the second quarter to assist Toronto protect that benefit at halftime.

These early factors helped lead a wave of scoring from Toronto’s supporting forged. That was notably helpful for the Raptors, on condition that the 2 gamers who performed 50 minutes within the double-overtime thriller in Recreation three, Leonard and Pascal Siakam, each confirmed indicators of fatigue at instances in Recreation four.

“I feel you simply do not know the way individuals are going to react,” Nurse mentioned. “I feel sort of the principle narrative is that Kawhi was tremendous drained and further minutes and all these sort of issues. I feel we sort of had that behind our minds, however , you simply do not know the way guys are going to react when the ball goes up, their adrenaline kicks up, and so forth.

“I do suppose Kyle seems like he sees alternatives for himself in these collection, and I feel Kyle is often an early, early scorer. He is aware of leads are valuable and he is attempting to jump-start that. He was humongous final evening. We did not get off to a terrific begin, and I feel he mechanically modified that by himself.”

Ahead OG Anunoby, then again, stays “a methods away” from contributing after present process an emergency appendectomy final month.

“OG doesn’t have a timetable for coming again,” Nurse mentioned. “He’s being extra lively each day. I feel we’re getting nearer to a degree the place we’re — , unpack is the following step for him. He is transferring fairly good, he is capturing, and so forth., however nonetheless a methods away from having the ability to take hits and phone within the areas that he wants to check out, I suppose.”

The Raptors, although, stay centered on the duty at hand, which is to discover a approach to do what they could not within the first two video games of this collection: get a win in Milwaukee. (The Bucks have solely misplaced twice in a row all season; they’ve by no means misplaced 3 times in a row.)

That’s the purpose for Toronto — one which, if the Raptors can accomplish it, would permit them to have an opportunity to clinch a visit to the NBA Finals for the primary time in franchise historical past Saturday evening again at Scotiabank Area.

Nurse, although, mentioned that there was little or no speak of the probabilities down the street for the Raptors. As an alternative, he mentioned the main target has been on the duty that it’s instantly at hand — one that will not be simple to unravel.

“I feel there’s been little or no,” he mentioned. “I am attempting to consider issues I’ve heard and I can actually solely bear in mind Kyle by way of the Philly collection was instantly over, we had been within the locker room and he sort of quieted everyone down and mentioned, ‘Hey, hear, , get pleasure from this sport, however we have nonetheless obtained a methods to go the place we’re attempting to get to, so let’s get again right here tomorrow and let’s get again to work.’ You realize, that sort of mentality.”

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