Siakam succeded despite playing fewer minutes. The antithesis of Tracy McGrady’s theory. Shocking.
 | TOR Raptors | 117 | Final Box Score | 92 | NY Knicks |  |
 A+ | P. Siakam31 MIN, 31 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST, 1 STL, 11-19 FG, 2-6 3FG, 7-8 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 31 +/- MIP. Got back-cut a couple times by Hezonja very early on, but everything after that was absolute All-Star caliber. Crumbled the Knicks inept transition defense, abused mismatches in the post and hit triples from the corner and above the break. One of the league’s truly unique players and it’s not clear that you can even suggest a potential for him as his penchant for improvement is unrivalled in sport. So much fun to root for him. | |
 A+ | D. Green20 MIN, 15 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 5-9 FG, 5-8 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 24 +/- His 10th game this year with 5+ triples and it was clear early on that he was going to dominate from behind the line tonight. Played every part of the perfect tertiary scorer; filling the lane, making the correct pass and terrorizing the Knicks defense from downtown. | |
 A- | M. Gasol23 MIN, 2 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 0-4 FG, 0-2 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 22 +/- It’s remarkable that his assists never lead to mid-range baskets. He provides players with looks at the rim and downtown only! He passes the ball as if the ghost of Daryl Morey is whispering in his ear, and we thank him for that. The Raptors have turned into an overpowered cyclone of ball-movement since his arrival, and I’ll bet a pound of tacos that, that translates to the playoffs. Still looking for his shot to come around. | |
 B+ | K. Lowry25 MIN, 7 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 3-10 FG, 1-7 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 13 +/- Opened the game on fire. Busted the Knicks open with a savvy two-man game with Gasol and promptly entered chill mode afterwards. No risk of another Mitchell Robinson mishap, and copious amounts of chemistry. All good. | |
 A+ | F. VanVleet32 MIN, 12 PTS, 3 REB, 8 AST, 1 STL, 4-13 FG, 4-8 3FG, 0-0 FT, 2 BLK, 0 TO, 27 +/- Raptors are now 21-5 when he starts. He was +47 in the six games post-injury and he eclipsed +20 in this one. His overall court presence is underrated by everyone except Louis Zatzman and his lackey’s, so if you fall in that group (it’s me, I’m the lackey), congrats. His defense on Kevin Knox in the left corner was a perfect example of how to lockdown a player on a close-out. He’s awesome. | |
 B- | J. Lin26 MIN, 12 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST, 0 STL, 4-8 FG, 1-2 3FG, 3-4 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 1 +/- Nurse gave him a lengthy leash in this one. He had a horrid start to the game, but to his credit he turned it around. He’s a resilient guy, and an up-tick in his production doesn’t come at the expense of anyone else. Still hoping he pieces it together by season’s end, otherwise he won’t sniff playoff minutes at all. | |
 A- | S. Ibaka24 MIN, 10 PTS, 10 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 5-9 FG, 0-2 3FG, 0-3 FT, 2 BLK, 1 TO, 11 +/- The best rebounder on the team now, and it shows. Gasol obviously provides a ton of different looks offensively, but Ibaka’s defense at the rim has the capacity to be all kinds of overwhelming, and his work on the pick n’ pop on offense can’t be emulated by anyone on the roster. Seems to be taking the switch to the bench in stride, which is more than welcome. | |
 A | N. Powell23 MIN, 11 PTS, 3 REB, 0 AST, 2 STL, 3-7 FG, 3-4 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 9 +/- More good games from Powell! He’s rolling lately; when he’s jumping the passing lanes on defense it’s always working out, and man, he’s killing it from downtown lately. A Powell that is explosive on defensive and decisive on offense has a place in many teams league-wide and if he keeps it up, a place in the Raptors playoff-rotation. | |
 C+ | P. McCaw19 MIN, 3 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 1-3 FG, 1-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -3 +/- Hit a triple, bounced around on defense. Matt Shantz once drank a full bottle of Maple Syrup to impress a girl. | |
 B | M. Miller7 MIN, 5 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 1-3 FG, 1-3 3FG, 2-2 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, -4 +/- Let the shooters, shoot. Blocked Henry Ellenson! I am dying for him to get a look at 20+ minutes in one of the final games of the year. | |
 B | C. Boucher5 MIN, 3 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 1-1 FG, 1-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -3 +/- Took him approximately 2 seconds to bang in a triple. Always fun to get his absurd length out on the floor to see how he perplexes the opposing team. | |
 B | J. Meeks5 MIN, 6 PTS, 1 REB, 3 AST, 0 STL, 2-3 FG, 1-2 3FG, 1-1 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -3 +/- Glad to see him get signed on after his 10-day. Clever diving to the rim, and of course he can stroke it. | |
 A+ | Nick Nurse Liked the big, big lineup, as we’ve all been waiting to see it. Kept minutes down, and left with a sizeable W. Zero problems tonight. | |
Things We Saw
- Every member of the “deep bench” hit a triple tonight including Lin. It’s official, the team has got the bug from downtown and we could see an absurd run to end the year.
- Mitchell Robinson was a real monster tonight. All these minutes are meaningless, but good for him to put up numbers like that. His combination of length, jumping ability and tenacity makes for a fun, young big man. Figures to be a fun piece moving forward for the Knicks.
- The big, big lineup was a welcome sight tonight. Siakam at the 3 is a hilarious flex from the Raptors, especially with his ability to space the floor AND seamlessly guard smaller positions on defense. Could be a super fun look to throw at teams in the playoffs for short stints.
