A couple great trends, a couple troubling ones…
 | Golden State | 128 | Final Box Score | 131 | Toronto |  |
 A+ | P. Siakam42 MIN, 26 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 8-10 FG, 3-4 3FG, 7-8 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 7 +/- 26-points on 80-percent shooting is absurd. Durant had a couple blow-bys on him, but nobody could hold that beast tonight. Loved seeing him show off his game on the big stage (TNT) and the broadcast crew gave him love. Huge night, and a career high for our “golden child”. | |
 A+ | K. Leonard44 MIN, 37 PTS, 8 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 14-24 FG, 3-6 3FG, 6-6 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 3 +/- The reason why the trade was made. Was a force on the defensive end, save for a couple missed rotations – the whole team did that as well – and never let the game leave his hands. Terrific, superstar performance. | |
 A | S. Ibaka37 MIN, 20 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 8-13 FG, 1-3 3FG, 3-4 FT, 1 BLK, 3 TO, 16 +/- His defense was everything and then some. Some of the blocks he had tonight breathed life back into the Raptors. Durant did the lion-share of his work away from the hoop in the second half, and that was largely due to Ibaka. Massive game. | |
 B+ | K. Lowry41 MIN, 10 PTS, 8 REB, 12 AST, 3 STL, 4-14 FG, 2-7 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 8 +/- Incredibly clever. Incredibly frustrating. The full Lowry experience. Had a couple triples that had us on top of the world, and he spread the ball around with so much confidence. When the game locked down, he became far too passive. At times refusing to attack a broken down defense. A wily game, but it was clear that his offense helped the Warriors back in this one. | |
 A | D. Green39 MIN, 13 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 5-10 FG, 3-6 3FG, 0-0 FT, 2 BLK, 0 TO, 16 +/- Where Lowry became passive, Green became aggressive. There wasn’t a shot the Raptors needed that Green wouldn’t happily make. Pure gumption. I like the cut of his jib. Defense was awesome, as always. | |
 C+ | O. Anunoby16 MIN, 5 PTS, 3 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 2-7 FG, 1-6 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, -9 +/- Tough game. Showed off significant polish when he snaked the pick n’ roll before scooping in a layup. Didn’t fit in the game very well, and the jumper needs to be a bit more accurate. Progression, we’ll get there. | |
 C+ | J. Valanciunas16 MIN, 12 PTS, 4 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 4-5 FG, 0-0 3FG, 4-4 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, -13 +/- Had offensive punch, but his defense left a lot to be desired. There was a possession in which Damian Jones grabbed 2 consecutive offensive boards over him. Not long rebounds. In the middle of the paint rebounds. If he can’t clean the glass, he’ll find himself on the bench more often than not. Looking for more energy next game. | |
 C | F. VanVleet15 MIN, 0 PTS, 1 REB, 3 AST, 0 STL, 0-3 FG, 0-3 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, -13 +/- It really feels like Fred and Kyle’s jumpers exist in the same games and only those games. When one is cold, so is the other. After performing admirably against the Grizzlies, tonight was a let-down. | |
 B | D. Wright12 MIN, 8 PTS, 0 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 2-3 FG, 2-2 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 1 +/- Maybe this game would have really been a signature Wright game if he didn’t get his bell rung by that Jerebko screen. Hit two massive triples in the fourth, and it’s worth mentioning that his set-shot 3-pointer is very reliable. | |
 Inc | C. Miles3 MIN, 0 PTS, 2 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, -1 +/- Oof. Hoping the game comes along. Tough watching him right now. | |
 A- | Nick Nurse Had the team ready to punch the Warriors in the mouth as soon as they walked in. The scrambling defense was really effective at times, and there’s no gameplan that accounts for what Durant can do. Liked the decisions tonight, but maybe leave CJ on the bench. | |
Things We Saw
- There wasn’t a remedy to Durant tonight, but Leonard’s defense still left me satisfied. Really liked the way he guarded on-ball, even though I might’ve allowed the switch on defense a little more often. Leonard is still THAT guy on defense.
- Watching Lowry pass up open 3-pointers gave me a lot of stress. We need him to be a shot-maker the whole game. Especially in the latter stages. He can’t only be an offensive option when the game is busted open and he’s walking into pull-ups. There should be a bit more off-ball action run for him, but he needs to shoot.
- If you look at the Eastern players this year, there actually isn’t room for Siakam this year. Let’s be selfish and vote like crazy for him. He’s so much fun, and uniquely unique. A 3-4 performance from downtown tonight is emblematic of his incredible ability to become a swiss-army knife.
