Quick Reaction: Spurs 105, Raptors 104

Any concerns that Siakam would look rusty in his surprise return were quickly dispelled. Siakam came out on fire with a foray of buckets enroute to a 12 point first quarter, knocking down triples, pull-ups, and a beautiful turn-around jumper over DeRozan. However, Siakam faded a bit after the explosive start, his missed bunny at the rim to tie the game stung. A mixed bag in totality, but nonetheless it was good to see Siakam back on the floor.

A quiet offensive game for Anunoby, however he was his usual All-Defence self on the other end of the floor. When DeRozan and the Spurs got white-hot offensively, it was Anunoby’s return that brought Toronto back into the game. Unfortunately by then it was too little, too late.

Although his on-off numbers are quizzically poor, Ibaka has been quietly the second best Raptor amidst their wave of injuries. MaFuzzy has averaged 18.6 points and 10.6 rebounds over the past nine games, including nailing 43.5 per cent of his three-pointers. Today Ibaka’s outside shot continued to look smooth and his effort on the glass remains outstanding in the absence of Marc Gasol. Ibaka is playing his best basketball of the season when Toronto have needed him most.

Sat back early and then inserted himself in Lowrylike fashion, sparking the bench unit with pull-up jumpers in transition, quick dimes, and generally speeding up their pace of play. KLOE’s two-man game with Ibaka to generate a couple easy buckets remains such a comforting option for the team to resort to. It was frustrating to see Lowry and co. be stymied by the occasional zone look; as the floor general it is on Lowry to solve the defensive picture faster.

Powell didn’t skip a beat in his return and fit seamlessly back into the starting lineup. He confidently stepped into his regular catch-and-shoot triples above the arc and also had a nifty backdoor cut from the baseline for an acrobatic finish. These innocuous Powell plays are crucial in allowing the Raptors offence to flow smoothly.

Twenty minutes too many. McCaw assumed the sixth man role, tagging out Powell early. Returned to his deferential self with returning faces in the fold, however the less McCaw is mentioned when discussing offence, the better.

As laborious as it can be to watch Hollis-Jefferson’s offensive game at times, it is satisfying to see him in those moments where he is a constant gnat on the defensive end. RHJ got his hands in the passing lanes as he collapsed into the paint on drives. He is also developing a fun chemistry with Lowry when the latter runs with the bench unit; if Hollis-Jefferson can finish at the rim then he is a fun piece for Nurse to work with. Also has a sneaky quick second jump when working on the offensive glass.

Thomas’ viability on the court is dependent on his shooting ability. With faces returning, Thomas will be in a specialist, low-usage role. As long as he continues to knock down triples at a decent clip, like today, he will be able to carve out a small role for himself.

A bit of a comedown for Davis who was coming off of a career night following his first NBA start. Davis’ jumper was off and he had a couple of ‘meh’ turnovers. The three-point shooting is slowly coming back down to earth, but I still think it would behoove Nurse to play Davis alongside more starters and shot-creators in more of a lower usage, off-ball role.

Was the engine of the bench mob early. Boucher had a huge block on Lonnie Walker IV and then nailed a deep pick-and-pop triple, two of the only bright spots during an ugly stretch from both teams. A few clumsy fouls in the second frame, but Boucher’s improving ability as a hard roller to the rim brings another element to Toronto’s offence. Unfortunately he may be making the social media rounds tonight after being baptized by DeMar at the rim.

Got some run late in the third quarter. Crashed the glass to get another offensive possession, but that was the extent of Brissett’s impact today.

Gauged the flow of the game well in the first half, but the same cannot be said in the second. Nurse pulled Siakam and Powell early to allow them to ease themselves into the game without overstressing either. His quirky bench mob lineup may not have been pretty, but they didn’t capitulate and caught fire once Lowry returned. Plus, another successful challenge on the Ibaka three-point foul! However, far too many McCaw minutes, no Anunoby (who was the only player who could deter DeRozan an open runway to the hoop) during the Spurs’ fourth quarter run, and has to be partially blamed for Raptors’ capitulation against the zone defence.