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Raptors' Jakob Poeltl (left ankle) out indefinitely

Toronto's starting center will be out of the lineup after suffering a left ankle sprain in a Jan. 7 win vs. Golden State.

Raptors center Jakob Poeltl is averaging 10.6 ppg and 8.3 rpg this season.

Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl will be out indefinitely after suffering a sprained left ankle, the team announced Tuesday. He will be re-evaluated in two weeks.

What happened: Poeltl sustained his injury in the third quarter of Toronto’s 133-118 win in Golden State on Jan. 7.

Poeltl’s impact: This season, Poeltl is averaging 10.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game and has scored in double figures in 22 of his 36 games this season. Poeltl has helped Toronto emerge as a strong team on the interior this season as they rank 10th in rebounds per game and 7th in points in the paint. However, the Raptors have been weak overall on defense, ranking 18th in Defensive Rating and blocks per game and 15th in defensive rebound percentage.

Poeltl is the sole center in the playing rotation this season and his absence will likely be felt in many ways by Toronto. The Raptors could turn to 6-foot-9 shot-blocking forward Chris Boucher to help protect the paint or any of its many other forwards who are in a similar height range.

Toronto is in the midst of a six-game road trip and has three games left on the trek: tonight vs. the Los Angeles Lakers, Jan. 10 vs. the LA Clippers and Jan. 12 vs. the Utah Jazz. After that, the Raptors play five of their next six games at home.

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