Raptors' Chris Boucher: Leads bench with 13 points
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Boucher finished Sunday's 125-98 preseason win over the Wizards with 13 points (5-9 FG, 3-5 3Pt), six rebounds and one block across 18 minutes.
Boucher was one of seven Raptors players to score in double digits Sunday, with five of those members of the second unit. He saw his playing time dip during the 2023-24 campaign compared to previous seasons, but the 31-year-old Boucher is looking to make a larger impact off the bench for the upcoming year.
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Raptors' Chris Boucher: Improved mindset for 2024-25
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Boucher (knee) has done a lot of work this offseason to ensure his mind is in the right place to start the 2024-25 campaign, Michael Grange of sportsnet.ca reports.
Boucher was reportedly upset with his role last season, averaging just 6.4 points and 4.1 rebounds in 14.1 minutes across 50 appearances, all of which were coming off the bench. While Boucher isn't necessarily slated for an increased role in 2024-25, it seems as though the 31-year-old big man is more willing to accept a depth role.
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Raptors' Chris Boucher: Won't play Sunday
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Boucher (knee) is out for Sunday's game against the Heat, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun reports.
Boucher last played March 9, when he recorded 16 points and eight rebounds across 31 minutes in a road loss to the Trail Blazers. The big man missed Toronto's final 18 contests, and he finished the campaign with averages of 6.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.5 blocks per game across 50 appearances off the bench. From a statistical perspective, this was Boucher's worst year since the 2018-19 campaign, his second season in the NBA.
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Raptors' Chris Boucher: Remains out indefinitely
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Boucher (knee) won't play Wednesday against the Nets, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca reports.
Boucher will miss his 16th consecutive game Wednesday while he continues to recover from the partial MCL tear in his right knee. The Raptors haven't indicated that Boucher has resumed on-court work, so he'll most likely miss the team's remaining two games of the season after Wednesday.
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Raptors' Chris Boucher: Out indefinitely
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Boucher (knee) has been ruled out for Tuesday's game against the Lakers and remains out indefinitely, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Boucher suffered a partial MCL tear in his right knee in early March and doesn't have a return timetable. It wouldn't be surprising if Boucher misses the rest of the 2023-24 regular season.
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Raptors' Chris Boucher: Sustains MCL damage to knee
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The Raptors announced Monday that Boucher suffered a partial MCL tear in his right knee in Saturday's 128-118 overtime loss to the Trail Blazers and will undergo further testing in the coming days, Kayla Grey of TSN reports. Boucdher is without a timeline for a return.
The Raptors initially listed Boucher as questionable ahead of Monday's game against the Nuggets with a bruised right knee, but initial tests evidently revealed a more severe injury. Though Boucher is expected to recover from the knee issue without requiring surgery, even a minor tear would likely entail a multi-week rest-and-rehab period. Given that Toronto sits at 23-41 on the season entering Monday's contest, the team likely won't look to rush the 31-year-old back from the injury, so he could be at risk of missing the rest of the season. Boucher had recently resurfaced in the rotation and averaged 13.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 blocks in 27.5 minutes over the past two contests, but his upcoming absence likely paves the way for Jontay Porter to slot back in as the primary backup to starting center Kelly Olynyk.
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Raptors' Chris Boucher: Out against Denver
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Boucher (knee) won't play in Monday's game versus Denver, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca reports.
The Raptors are expected to be shorthanded Monday, as Boucher joins Gary Trent (groin), Immanuel Quickley (hip), Jakob Poeltl (finger), Scottie Barnes (hand) and D.J. Carton (ankle) on the sideline. Kelly Olynyk will likely play significant minutes as Toronto's starting center, while two-way player Jontay Porter could reclaim a rotation spot as Olynyk's primary backup.
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Raptors' Chris Boucher: Dealing with bruised knee
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Boucher is listed as questionable for Monday's game at Denver due to a bruised right knee.
Boucher has stepped up over the last two games with Toronto missing key pieces in Scottie Barnes (hand) and Jakob Poeltl (finger), but he could be in danger of missing the first of the Raptors' four games in the week ahead. If Boucher is cleared to play, he should make for a relatively appealing streaming option given that he's totaled 27 points, 17 rebounds, four assists and three blocks over his last two games (55 total minutes). Keep an eye out for an update at the shootaround Monday morning.
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Raptors' Chris Boucher: Logs 16 points from bench
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Boucher finished Saturday's 128-118 overtime loss to the Trail Blazers with 16 points (4-5 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 6-6 FT), eight rebounds, two assists and three blocks in 31 minutes.
Boucher provided much-needed size and agility to the interior during the loss. Recently, he has played well off the bench during Scottie Barnes' (hand) absence, but Boucher has also dealt with his own injuries, minimizing what would have otherwise been golden opportunities with Barnes and Jakob Poeltl (finger) absent. Considering his average of 27.5 minutes over the past two games, Boucher's increased usage should continue if he can stay healthy.
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Raptors' Chris Boucher: Good to go against Golden State
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Boucher (illness) is available for Friday's game versus the Warriors.
Boucher has been upgraded from questionable to available despite dealing with an illness. However, the 30-year-old forward has been largely left out of Toronto's rotation.
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Raptors' Chris Boucher: Won't play Wednesday
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Boucher (illness) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Mavericks, Eric Koreen of The Athletic reports.
Boucher isn't a consistent part of the rotation, so his absence Wednesday shouldn't impact how the minutes are distributed among Raptors frontcourt players.
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Raptors' Chris Boucher: Iffy due to illness
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Boucher (illness) is questionable for Wednesday's game versus Dallas.
Boucher has been a fringe rotation player for the Raptors, making just three brief appearances in February. His status doesn't carry many fantasy implications.
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Raptors' Chris Boucher: Re-enters rotation
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Boucher recorded 11 points (4-5 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 2-2 FT), six rebounds, one assist and one block across 12 minutes during Monday's 138-100 loss to the Pelicans.
Boucher was a healthy scratch in Toronto's last two contests, but he stepped in with efficient offense and active rebounding in a limited sample during Monday's blowout loss. Boucher being phased out of the rotation is an interesting storyline given the 30-year-old is the only power forward on the roster besides Scottie Barnes, but it appears that Toronto would rather allocate the minutes elsewhere at this time. Boucher will probably be pushed to the outskirts of the rotation again if Gary Trent (back), RJ Barrett (knee) and Jontay Porter (back) are cleared to suit up moving forward.
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Raptors' Chris Boucher: Nears double-double off bench
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Boucher recorded 17 points (7-7 FG, 3-3 3Pt), nine rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal across 16 minutes during Sunday's 133-118 victory over the Warriors.
Boucher has had relatively limited production off the bench for most of the year, but he's come within one rebound of a double-double in his last two appearances. He was perfect from the floor Sunday, although it's worth noting that both of his recent strong performances came in games where the score was lopsided after the first half. Across his last eight appearances, Boucher has averaged 7.1 points and 4.9 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game.
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Raptors' Chris Boucher: Limited again Friday
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Boucher posted three points (1-3 FG, 1-3 3Pt) and three rebounds across seven minutes during Friday's 120-118 loss to the Celtics.
Boucher played fewer than 15 minutes for the 10th consecutive game, scoring just three points. Despite a proven ability to produce fantasy-relevant numbers, Boucher's days of playing meaningful minutes appear to be behind him. At this point, there is no reason to have him on a roster, even in deeper formats.
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Raptors' Chris Boucher: Blocks two shots off bench
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Boucher finished Wednesday's 135-128 victory over the Hawks with two points (1-2 FG, 0-1 3Pt) and two blocks across 10 minutes.
Boucher played through a recent quad injury, blocking two shots in 10 minutes. Unfortunately, he didn't contribute much on the offensive end of the court. He recorded just two points and didn't have much shot volume, continuing his disappointing season. Despite a somewhat fantasy-friendly game, Boucher's days of being a viable asset appear to have passed him by.
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Raptors' Chris Boucher: Available Wednesday
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Boucher (quad) is available for Wednesday's game against the Hawks, Aaron Rose of SI.com reports.
Boucher suffered a left quad contusion during Monday's loss to the Knicks and didn't practice Tuesday, but he'll still suit up Wednesday. Boucher has appeared in 16 straight games, averaging 6.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in 14.3 minutes during that stretch.
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Raptors' Chris Boucher: Officially considered questionable
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Boucher (quad) is questionable for Wednesday's game against Atlanta.
Boucher is dealing with a left quad contusion, which he suffered during Monday's loss to the Knicks. His status could come down to pregame warmups Wednesday. The 30-year-old hasn't been a sizable component of Toronto's rotation this season, logging his smallest role since 2019 at 14.4 minutes per game.
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Raptors' Chris Boucher: Doesn't practice Tuesday
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Boucher (thigh) didn't practice Tuesday, Eric Koreen of The Athletic reports.
Boucher left Monday's loss to the Knicks after suffering a left thigh bruise. His status for Wednesday's matchup versus the Hawks should surface sometime Tuesday night, but he isn't trending in the right direction.
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Raptors' Chris Boucher: Exits with injury Monday
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Boucher has been ruled out for the remainder of Monday's game against the Knicks after suffering a left thigh bruise in the second half, Eric Koreen of The Athletic reports.
Boucher was in a funk prior to exiting the contest, missing all four of his three-point attempts and struggling inside against a shorthanded Knicks frontcourt. Precious Achiuwa will step up in his absence, while Jalen McDaniels could also be re-introduced to the rotation.
