Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse said at practice Thursday that the team's starting centre, Marc Gasol, is expected to miss Friday's game and likely more time due to a lingering hamstring injury.

The injury caused Gasol to miss the team's last eight games prior to the All-Star break. He has not played since Jan. 28 against the Atlanta Hawks, when he re-aggravated an injury that he originally suffered against the Detroit Pistons in December.

The first time around, Gasol's injury kept him out 12 games. With just 27 regular-season games remaining, Nurse said he wants Gasol to be completely healthy before returning to game action.