TORONTO - It was less than two months ago that the Toronto Raptors made a triumphant return to Scotiabank Arena, 600 days exactly since they’d last played at home.
While the Washington Wizards went on to win, the Oct. 20 regular-season opener felt like a victory all the same. The Raptors were thrilled to be home after spending a season playing out of Tampa, Fla., and a full crowd of 19,800 celebrated their return.
But the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in Ontario felt like Groundhog Day on Thursday. The Ontario provincial government is slicing crowds at events to half the capacity, starting with the Raptors’ game Saturday against Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors.