Lowry (ankle) expected to play in Game 1 for Raptors


Toronto guard Kyle Lowry is expected to play Sunday afternoon when the Raptors meet the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Lowry, 34, sprained his left ankle when he stepped on the foot of Chris Chiozza in the first quarter of the Raptors’ 150-122 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Aug. 23. Toronto won all four games in its conference first-round series, marking the first sweep in franchise history.

He practiced with the team on Saturday morning, and coach Nick Nurse said the six-time All-Star “looked OK.”

Lowry averaged 19.4 points, a team-high 7.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 36.2 minutes in 58 regular-season games with the Raptors this season.

The Eastern Conference semifinal series was set to begin on Thursday, but leaguewide protests in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Wisconsin last weekend halted play in the NBA from Wednesday through Friday.

Game time is 1 p.m. ET.