Raptors will be without Siakam, VanVleet, Anunoby for another couple of games

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Toronto Raptors will be shorthanded for at least the next couple of games.

Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Malachi Flynn and Patrick McCaw had already been ruled out of Saturday’s game at Charlotte because of COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

Nick Nurse said they won’t be back for Sunday’s game at Chicago either.

“I just think that we’re going to do this trip and then when we get back in (to their home base in Tampa, Fla.) on Monday with two days between games, take a survey of the land and see who’s ready to rejoin us and go from there,” Nurse said before tipoff Saturday.

The Raptors took a three-game losing streak into Saturday’s game, with losses against Detroit, Boston and Atlanta that dropped them to ninth in the Eastern Conference.

The Raptors host Detroit on Wednesday and Utah on Friday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 13, 2021.