DeMar DeRozan will make his first return to Scotiabank Arena this Friday when the San Antonio Spurs (33-26 SU, 31-27-1 ATS) visit his former employers, the Toronto Raptors (43-16 SU, 26-33 ATS). ESPN will provide the coverage at 7 PM ET.
When the same two teams met in San Antonio on January 3, DeRozan dropped a triple-double on the Raptors: 21 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists in a 125-107 victoStaff Writerry for the Spurs (–3.5). He’ll almost certainly get a warmer reception from the Toronto fans than Kawhi Leonard got in his return to the AT&T Center. After demanding a trade during the offseason, Leonard was shipped north with Danny Green for DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a first-round pick.
Toronto’s lineup will look much different than it did in San Antonio. Kyle Lowry didn’t play that day, Delon Wright and C.J. Miles went to the Memphis Grizzlies in the Marc Gasol trade, Greg Monroe was sent to the Brooklyn Nets for cash, and Lorenzo Brown was put on waivers. Patrick McCaw has since joined the club; the Raptors have also signed Jeremy Lin for the rest of the year, while Fred VanVleet is out with an injured thumb.
