After a brief return to normal-ish regular season basketball, contending teams are beginning to wind down their stars’ usage to preserve energy for the playoffs. Last game, Nick Nurse rested Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet and Serge Ibaka, giving free rein to Chris Boucher, Matt Thomas and Norman Powell who capitalized on the extended minutes.
The Bucks and Raptors are locked into the first and second seeds respectively, so while Monday’s game between them was essentially purposeless, it felt good to watch the bench players thrive.