Former Raptors player shares hilarious Nick Nurse story from lone game with team
Juwan Morgan may have played just one game for the Toronto Raptors, but he was sure to make it a memorable one.
Back in December 2021, the team was going through a COVID-19 crisis, which led to one of the most lopsided performances in team history.
On December 26, the Raptors visited the Cleveland Cavaliers, putting out a makeshift rotation of players that included zero regular starters from the team’s usual mix, with multiple players in COVID-19 isolation.
Toronto’s starting lineup consisted of Chris Boucher, DJ Wilson, Yuta Watanabe, Svi Mykhailiuk, and Dalano Banton, with only Boucher starting more than five games for the team that year.
Morgan was one of the players elevated into a new role for the team, being signed on a 10-day contract away from the Boston-affiliated Maine Celtics in the G League.
Toronto was predictably handled easily by the Cavaliers, who put up 144 points on the evening compared to the Raptors scoring just 99.
And according to Morgan, the mishmash group didn’t exactly have a ton of preparation on the evening for their opponents from former Toronto head coach Nick Nurse.
“Our pregame film, we watched nothing on Cleveland,” Morgan told Tidal League’s Run Your Race podcast with a laugh. “Nurse put on all highlight tapes… he just put our highlight tapes on. [He said] ‘This is who we’re playing with, these are the guys you’re playing with tonight.'”
Canāt believe Nick Nurse did this š
(Via: Run Your Race) #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/sj4RPyA1YS
— Tidal League (@TidalLeague) February 22, 2024
Morgan put up five points, four rebounds, and an assist in the game, playing 27 minutes on the night. Being on a 10-day contract as a fill-in for the team’s medical issues, Morgan quickly returned to Maine.
He played one more NBA regular season game for the Celtics in 2022, as well as suiting up in nine playoff games on their run to the NBA Finals. After spending the 2022-23 season with the Ontario Clippers of the NBA G League, Morgan is currently playing for the Russian side Runa Basket Moscow.
Morgan’s full interview is available below:
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