Danny Green didn’t look the picture of health as he shuffled over to meet the media Thursday afternoon.

Ice packs hugged both of Green’s knees and his right eye was still bloodshot after getting poked during Sunday’s loss to Denver.

“Nothing serious,” he said of the knee-to-knee contact that briefly forced him out of the Raptors’ fourth-quarter comeback Wednesday, some pain in the left joint that had fans holding their breath before he returned to the last-minute win over Indiana.

That is the kind of durable player Green has proven himself to be early in his Raptors tenure, the only name penned into the starting lineup in each of Toronto’s first 33 games. And if he has it his way, he will be on the floor for tipoff against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, too, bumps and bruises be damned.

“The goal for me has always been to be healthy, stay healthy and try to play a full 82,” Green said. “So far we’re at a decent pace, (on a) decent track. Knock on wood, hopefully I don’t have to sit out any games soon or get any injuries.”

Green’s track record is solid. He hasn’t played fewer than 66 games in a season since his third year in the league in 2011-12 and he hasn’t started fewer than 59 games since then. Now 31 years old, Green has learn how to take care of his body. It takes longer to warm up and longer to cool down, and involves more icing.

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“A lot of times I still complain to this day to these guys that we need to do more stretching and more warming up before we start,” he said. “We have a lot of young guys here, so they can get on the court without stretching and keep playing. I’m like, ‘I’m not ready to go, I need some more activation.’ ”

Staying in the game is even more important to Green this year, coming off a season with the San Antonio Spurs where he played through a groin tear. He is not yet back to where he wants to be in terms of explosiveness, but hopes that part of his game will eventually return.

Initially something of a second thought in the unexpected trade that brought he and Kawhi Leonard to the Raptors for DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl, Green has cemented himself as much more than just a salary filler. On Wednesday, instead of Green being asked about his teammate for the umpteenth time since their joint introduction in September, it was Leonard’s turn to comment on Green.

“Danny goes out every night guarding the best (player) or just bringing a lot of energy on (the defensive) end,” Leonard said. “Whatever he does offensively, you just can’t leave him open. It’s just him being open-minded and him wanting to be a winner.”

In the recent dog days of December, when seven Raptors players have sat out at least one game through injury, Green’s availability has been an inconspicuous luxury for coach Nick Nurse. “I just looked at the board, I looked at all of the names in the rotation, and I said, ‘Jeez, he’s the only guy who’s played every night,’ ” Nurse said Wednesday.

Things aren’t expected to get much better for the Raptors in the immediate future. Jonas Valanciunas is out with a dislocated left thumb and Nurse was not optimistic about Kyle Lowry (thigh) or Serge Ibaka (knee) playing against Cleveland and Philadelphia on Friday and Saturday. “I would say Kyle is leaning toward the not so favourable and Serge is right in the middle.”

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Green, who is averaging a career-high 29.9 minutes a game this season, is happy to be called on in their absence but is also looking forward to a four-day break after Toronto’s visit to Philadelphia.

“I think some of the guys are pretty banged up, got some bumps and bruises. If we can keep guys healthy … I think that’s the main goal right now so we can get our chemistry back.”

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