NEW YORK (AP) Kyle Lowry hoped the pain in his right wrist would go away so he could join the new-look Toronto Raptors on the court.
Now the goal is just to get back with them before the playoffs.
The All-Star guard will have surgery Tuesday to remove loose bodies from his wrist, and the Raptors say they hope he can return for the postseason.
Lowry took part in All-Star festivities in New Orleans, competing in the 3-point contest and playing the next night in the All-Star Game. But he said there's been constant soreness since then and went Monday for a second opinion before the Raptors played the New York Knicks.
''It was one of those things where we didn't know it was as serious as it was. That's why you get second opinions as he did and we decided, he decided to have it done now hopefully to be able to have some time before the playoffs to get some games in,'' Raptors coach Dwane Casey said.
The procedure will be done in New York.
Lowry has often played hurt, but this time the pain was enough that he said he couldn't move his wrist in a certain position. He and the Raptors believed it would improve - Casey said Sunday the swelling was down and Lowry was day-to-day - though the point guard said he wasn't surprised by the diagnosis Monday.
''I'm not surprised by anything. It was a little sore, I didn't know what it was,'' Lowry said. ''It's not really something you can say I'm surprised. I had no idea what it would be. I thought some local treatment may have helped it but it just wasn't getting any better.''
Lowry is second on the team with his average of 22.8 points and leads the Raptors with 6.9 assists per game.
The Raptors were tied for third in the Eastern Conference entering their game against the Knicks, and falling to fourth or fifth would likely mean a second-round series with Cleveland, the team that knocked Toronto out in last year's Eastern Conference finals.
Lowry hopes to be fully recovered by then. In the meantime, he'll keep supporting Cory Joseph and Delon Wright, as Casey said the Raptors, who added forwards Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker before the trade deadline, won't look for outside help.
''I know they got to hold down the fort,'' Lowry said. ''Unfortunately right now I'm leaving my teammates out to dry and I wish I wasn't, but this is the circumstance that we have. So for me, all I can do is help my teammates off the floor.''
