NBA Playoffs: Jonas Valanciunas to miss Game 1 vs Cavaliers
By Jason Parker
The Toronto Raptors will be without their big man, Jonas Valanciunas, for at least the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals against Cleveland.
For the first time in the history of their franchise, the Toronto Raptors are in the Eastern Conference Finals as they survived a seven-game series against the Miami Heat to advance and meet the Cleveland Cavaliers.
When Game One of that series tips off Tuesday night, the men from Canada will be without their starting center for at least the first game. Center Jonas Valanciunas will be on the sidelines, according to a report from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst:
"Valanciunas missed the final four games of the Raptors’ second-round series win over the Miami Heat with the injury. Casey didn’t give a timetable on Valanciunas’ return but said he wasn’t yet able to participate in basketball activities.Valanciunas suffered the injury in the third quarter of Toronto’s Game 3 win over the Heat while contesting guard Dwyane Wade’s layup attempt at the rim."
Before the injury, Jonas Valanciunas was arguably the most valuable player on the Raptors during the first 10 games of the 2016 NBA playoffs. He was averaging 15 points and over 12 rebounds a game while shooting over 55 percent from the field as the Raptors got past the Indiana Pacers in their first round series, also going the full seven games.
In Valanciunas’ absence, the Raptors have started Bismack Biyombo the last four games. During that span, Biyombo has averaged 11 points and 12 rebounds. The Cavaliers will be looking for their second straight trip to the NBA Finals while avenging some regular season frustration against a Toronto team that took two of three meetings.
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