After a quick trip to the hospital Chris Bosh walked into the Toronto Raptors dressing room and delivered the lone bit of good news for the night.
In the wake of a right knee injury to the all-star forward and a dreadful performance by the Raptors in a 122-111 loss to the short-handed Indiana Pacers Friday before a sellout crowd of 19 800 at the Air Canada Centre Bosh said he does not expect the setback to be a major hindrance.
``It's alright '' said Bosh who exited the game late in the first quarter. ``It feels good when I'm walking around. Walking around and playing in a game are two different things. But I'm real optimistic about everything.''
A team spokesman said diagnostic testing at Mount Sinai Hospital showed Bosh did not have any structural damage. Bosh who tweaked the knee Monday in a win in Indiana will undergo normal treatment in the next few days and expects to accompany the team on a three-game road swing that starts Sunday in Charlotte against the Bobcats.
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``I think I know my body now '' said Bosh who missed five games with a strained right groin earlier this season and was hobbled by a left knee injury in the pre-season. ``I've had things similar to this. I know if I take care of it it will be fine real soon.''
The Raptors (32-25) meanwhile weren't even close to fine without Bosh on Friday. Toronto's three-game winning streak came to an end despite a 27-point night from up-and-down sophomore Andrea Bargnani.
The Pacers (23-36) snapped their three-game losing skid. Indiana missing three of its top four scorers had little difficulty penetrating against the Raptors and set a Toronto opponent season-high with 26 free throws. When they weren't going to the line the Pacers kicked it out for open shots with the prime beneficiary being Pacers forward Mike Dunleavy who tied career highs with 36 points and six three-pointers.
With the Pacers flying by Toronto Raptors coach Sam Mitchell went to an unusual lineup featuring both of his point guards _ T.J. Ford and Jose Calderon _ at times. While it was effective for stretches ultimately the Raptors couldn't find a combination to slow the Pacers down.
``We were just trying to put some people in the game we thought had a chance to keep somebody in front of us '' Mitchell said. ``We were just getting beat at almost every spot. It's tough when you swing the ball to every spot and they're beating you off the dribble ... It just breaks down and breaks down and breaks down.''
The Raptors went on a 15-0 run in the third quarter to cut a 16-point deficit to one but they never tied the game or led in the second half.
Mitchell certainly wasn't using Bosh's injury as an excuse.
``That's why you've got to be ready to play '' he said. ``Everybody complains about minutes what are you going to do when you get our chance? Everybody look in the mirror and when you get your opportunity to play go play. Go do something be a presence on the court bring some energy. Do the things that we work on every single day in practice.''
The troubled Pacers were dealing with all sorts of problems and dressed only 10 players. In the latest off-court problem for a team that seems to specialize in making negative headlines away from the arena forward Shawne Williams learned Wednesday a man had been arrested on a Tennessee murder warrant soon after leaving his Indianapolis home
Meanwhile three of the Pacers' top four scorers also were out. Forward Danny Granger was suspended earlier Friday for one game after striking the Chicago Bulls' Andres Nocioni in the face while star forward Jermaine O'Neal and guard Jamaal Tinsley were nursing knee injuries.
What's more detectives in the Indiana area are investigating a woman's report that she was sexually assaulted in the home of Pacers guard Marquis Daniels on Sunday. Daniels who played Friday is not a suspect in the case.
Notes: After helping guide the injury-riddled Ford back to the court John Lucas has earned a spot with the organization as a basketball development consultant. The Raptors announced the appointment of Lucas a former NBA head coach to the position before a game Friday against the Indiana Pacers at the Air Canada Centre. Lucas' primary responsibility will be working with Ford ... Toronto blew a chance to sweep the four-game season series against the Pacers ... Raptors forward Joey Graham and twin brother Stephen Graham of the Pacers suited up for opposite teams in the same building Friday. Both spend most of their time on the bench with their respective teams though Stephen took advantage of the short bench Friday and scored a career-high 16 points prompting one fan to yell ``Joey why can't you play like your brother?''
