Kyle Lowry to undergo wrist surgery Tuesday, aiming to return for playoffs

Toronto Raptors All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry will undergo surgery on Tuesday to remove loose bodies from his injured right wrist, the team announced Monday.

The projected timetable will force Lowry to miss the remainder of the season, but the Raptors hope to have him back for the playoffs.

"We got a couple of opinions, Kyle went to see (same) doctor who did his surgery (on left wrist in 2006). Images and all that stuff determined (surgery was necessary," Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri told reporters. "Everybody drew conclusion it would be good to clean this out now, rather than it become something that continues to reoccur."

Lowry’s injury is a significant setback for the Raptors, who are in fourth place in the East, six games behind the first-place Cleveland Cavaliers and three games behind the second-place Boston Celtics.

Lowry, 30, sustained the injury Feb. 15 against the Charlotte Hornets, the team’s final game before the All-Star break. Lowry participated in the Three-Point Contest and All-Star Game in New Orleans. Lowry hasn’t played in Toronto’s two games following the All-Star break.

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Lowry, who seems to have career season after career season, is averaging a career-high 22.8 points and shooting career-high 41.7% on three-pointers. Lowry controls Toronto’s offense, and when he is on the floor, the Raptors score 113.2 points per 100 possessions, according to NBA.com/stats.

At All-Star Weekend, Lowry said the Raptors couldn’t waste time working recently acquired big man Serge Ibaka in to the lineup. But Lowry’s absence will delay that process.

The Raptors will use youngsters Cory Joseph, 25, Delon Wright, 24, and Fred Van Vleet, 23, at point guard, and All-Star guard DeMar DeRozan (27.7 points per game) will take on even more offensive responsibility.

Toronto reached the Eastern Conference finals and lost to the Cavs in six games last season. This injury makes Toronto’s road back to the conference finals that much more difficult.

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