The Raptors waited 11 games for the cavalry to arrive, making due with what they had as they weathered the formidable challenge of playing without three, then four of their top seven guys over 31/2 weeks.
On Sunday, Pascal Siakam (groin) and Norman Powell (left shoulder) returned and were in the starting lineup for a 105-104 home loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Marc Gasol (hamstring) was upgraded to questionable, but didn’t play, while Fred VanVleet (hamstring) remains out for a while longer. Getting two of the four back — with another not far behind — is good news, but that doesn’t mean things will be easier right off the bat.