Raptors' Ochai Agbaji: Starting in regular-season finale
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Agbaji is in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against Miami, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Agbaji gets the nod with the first unit due to RJ Barrett (knee) being sidelined. Agbaji has boom appeal as a volume shooter, giving him streaming credibility in Toronto's 82nd game.
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Raptors' Ochai Agbaji: Moves to bench
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Agbaji isn't starting Friday's game against the Heat.
The Raptors have elected to shake up the starting five, rolling with Gary Trent at shooting guard and Gradey Dick at small forward. Agbaji will come off the bench as a result but should still play a big role in the rotation.
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Raptors' Ochai Agbaji: Questionable for Friday
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Agbaji (hip) is questionable for Friday's game against the Bucks, Aaron Rose of SI.com reports.
Agbaji has missed the past three games for Toronto, but this is the first time he's received the questionable tag since going down, which indicates progress. We'll have a better idea on his status based on his activity level at Friday's shootaround, but if he is able to get back to the floor, there will be fewer minutes available for Gradey Dick and Jordan Nwora.
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Raptors' Ochai Agbaji: Out again Tuesday
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Agbaji (hip) will not play Tuesday against the Lakers, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star reports.
Agbaji will miss his second straight game Tuesday, and it's not a good sign that he's getting ruled out a day in advance. Fortunately for Toronto, they are expected to have Immanuel Quickley (personal) and RJ Barrett (conditioning) back in the mix Tuesday.
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Raptors' Ochai Agbaji: Won't play Sunday
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Agbaji (hip) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the 76ers, Eric Koreen of The Athletic reports.
Agbaji suffered a right hip contusion Wednesday against the Knicks and underwent medical testing that came back clean. However, he's still sore and will be forced to miss at least one game. It's not yet clear whether he'll be unavailable for additional games, but his next chance to return will be Tuesday against the Lakers.
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Raptors' Ochai Agbaji: Leaves early with hip contusion
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Agbaji won't return to Wednesday's game against the Knicks due to a right hip contusion, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Agbaji missed his only field-goal attempt and recorded one rebound and one assist while playing just five minutes before exiting the contest. The second-year player made his 13th straight start Wednesday and had averaged 28.3 minutes over his previous 12 outings, but he could be in store for a reduction in playing time in the Raptors' next game Sunday against the 76ers if the hip injury doesn't keep him out. Toronto could get two major cogs in the rotation in RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley back Sunday from multi-game absences due to personal matters after both rejoined the team for practice Tuesday before being ruled out Wednesday for conditioning purposes.
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Raptors' Ochai Agbaji: Available to play
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Agbaji (knee) is available for Thursday's game against the Suns, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca reports.
Agbaji was previously upgraded to probable, so this was an expected update. Agbaji has struggled since joining the Raptors, hitting 37.7 percent of his shots from the field and 26.7 percent from beyond the arc.
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Raptors' Ochai Agbaji: Leaves early Tuesday
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Agbaji won't return to Tuesday's game against the Pelicans due to left knee soreness, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca reports. He finished with three points (1-4 FG, 1-3 3Pt) and three rebounds in 16 minutes.
The Raptors were already thin heading into Tuesday's contest with Scottie Barnes (hand), Jakob Poeltl (finger) and Bruce Brown (knee) sidelined, so Toronto will be hoping that Agbaji's injury proves to be a minor concern. If Agbaji and the other three injured Raptors are all out for Thursday's game in Phoenix, Jordan Nwora and Gradey Dick could both see more opportunities.
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Raptors' Ochai Agbaji: Best showing for new team
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Agbaji totaled 14 points (5-6 FG, 4-5 3Pt), four rebounds, one block and one steal across 17 minutes off the bench during Friday's 123-121 victory over the Hawks.
After managing only 15 points across his first four games as a Raptor, Agbaji nearly matched that total in one night Friday. RJ Barrett (knee) being out may have helped Agbaji get into a groove, but when the Toronto roster is fully healthy it's not clear if there will be a significant role for the 14th overall pick in the 2022 Draft.
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Jazz's Ochai Agbaji: Good to go against Phoenix
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Agbaji (illness) isn't on the injury report for Thursday's game versus the Suns.
Agbaji will return to action Thursday after missing Utah's previous contest with a non-COVID illness. The 23-year-old guard is averaging 2.8 points and 1.9 rebounds in 17.0 minutes across his last 10 appearances.
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Jazz's Ochai Agbaji: Non-factor in win
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Agbaji totaled two points (1-2 FG, 0-1 3Pt) and one rebound in 15 minutes during Monday's 132-116 victory over the Bucks.
Agbaji has failed to exceed five points in each of his past seven games. On Monday, 10 players for Utah logged at least 15 minutes, which is indicative of the team's depth and crunch for minutes at times. The second-year guard flashed continued promise earlier this season, logging 7.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals on 48.3 percent shooting in 27.3 minutes across 10 games as a starter, but he hasn't cracked the starting lineup since Dec. 11 against Oklahoma City.
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Jazz's Ochai Agbaji: Moves to bench
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Abaji isn't in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Trail Blazers.
Agbaji will be replaced by Kelly Olynyk in the starting five Wednesday as the Jazz opt to go big against Portland. Agbaji is averaging 3.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 13.3 minutes across his previous eight appearances coming off the bench this season.
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Jazz's Ochai Agbaji: Tallies three blocks in loss
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Agbaji registered eight points (3-4 FG, 2-2 3Pt), five rebounds and three blocks in 25 minutes during Friday's 131-128 loss to Phoenix.
Agbaji remained in the starting lineup for a fourth consecutive game Friday, and although he was held below 10 points, he racked up a season-high three blocks. He's recorded at least one block in five consecutive appearances, averaging 7.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 23.6 minutes per game during that time.
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Jazz's Ochai Agbaji: Draws start Thursday
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Agbaji is in the starting lineup for Thursday's preseason game against the Kings, David Locke of the Jazz's official website reports.
Jordan Clarkson, Lauri Markkanen, John Collins and Kelly Olynyk are all being rested for Utah's final preseason game. Agbaji has been a little underwhelming in the preseason so far, so he's in need of a good performance Thursday.
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Jazz's Ochai Agbaji: Solid stat line in preseason win
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Agbaji tallied 12 points (4-8 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), four rebounds, three assists, one steal and two blocked shots over 16 minutes against New Zealand in a 114-94 exhibition victory Monday.
Agbaji was one of nine different Utah players who logged between 15 and 17 minutes in the contest, and he was among the most productive, finishing as one of three with a double-digit point total. The guard also swatted a pair of shots and contributed as a rebounder and distributor. Agbaji's scoring total was his highest through four preseason matchups. He's come off the bench in each of those games and will likely continue to do so when the regular season kicks off.
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Jazz's Ochai Agbaji: Scores nine in win
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Agbaji (back) totaled nine points (4-10 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 1-1 FT), three rebounds, one steal and one block in 19 minutes during Sunday's 101-96 preseason win over the Clippers.
Agbaji missed time during Summer League play due to a sore back, but he was available for Utah's first preseason matchup. The 23-year-old appears to be back to full health as the regular season approaches.
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Jazz's Ochai Agbaji: Officially active
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Agbaji (back) will play in Wednesday's Summer League game against the Nuggets, Tony Jones of The Athletic reports.
After being scratched from Monday's Summer League contest with lower back spasms, Agbaji was handed a probable designation ahead of Wednesday's tilt and will suit up for the Jazz. The 23-year-old will likely reclaim his starting role and remain one of Utah's top options Wednesday.
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Jazz's Ochai Agbaji: Plays well against Memphis
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Agbaji produced 22 points (8-20 FG, 5-13 3PT, 1-2 FT) with 13 rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block over 30 minutes in Thursday's 98-83 Summer League win against Memphis.
Abaji continues to rebound and defend well, but his shot has eluded him so far. Coming into Thursday's contest, Agbaji was shooting 36.1 percent from the field over his previous two games. He'll be a name to watch this offseason, as the 2022 first-rounder is competing for a key role in his second season.
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Jazz's Ochai Agbaji: Ejected Sunday
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Agbaji was ejected in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game against the Lakers after being assessed a pair of technical fouls, Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Prior to being tossed early in the fourth quarter of Sunday's matchup, Agbaji tallied eight points (4-13 FG, 0-3 3Pt), eight assists, a rebound and a steal in 27 minutes. The 22-year-old's ejection ends his rookie season in which he took on a starting role over his final 20 appearances. His role next season will likely depend on whether Jordan Clarkson (finger) exercises his player option for the 2023-24 campaign.
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Jazz's Ochai Agbaji: Scores 14 points in win
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Agbaji had 14 points (5-10 FG, 4-8 3Pt), two rebounds and one block over 31 minutes during Thursday's 131-124 victory over the Magic.
With Jordan Clarkson (finger) and Collin Sexton (hamstring) sidelined, Agbaji has drawn five straight starts and is averaging 10.2 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.2 steals-plus-blocks in 27.0 minutes per game. It's been an underwhelming rookie campaign for the lottery pick, but it's nice to see him playing well in an expanded role during the stretch run.
