 | WAS Wizards | 111 | Final Box Score | 140 | TOR Raptors |  |
 A- | S. Ibaka26 MIN, 15 PTS, 8 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 6-9 FG, 1-2 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 11 +/- Just keeps on ticking, Ibaka posted another quietly impressive statline. Serge will never be a high-end passer, but he is so much more comfortable finding corner shooters and cutters at the dunker spot when rolling towards the paint. Also, that flagrant he was called for on Beal’s three-point shot was one of the more absurd calls of the season. | |
 B- | P. Siakam25 MIN, 12 PTS, 2 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL, 3-9 FG, 1-3 3FG, 5-6 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 6 +/- It was one of those offensive nights for Siakam today. He couldn’t buy a bucket. Fortunately given the comfortable lead and other contributors pouring on the points, Spicy P wasn’t required to hunt shots to rediscover a groove. Despite this, there were a few instances of Siakam’s continued playmaking growth out of the post and when feeling the oncoming double team. | |
 A+ | M. Gasol29 MIN, 20 PTS, 6 REB, 5 AST, 2 STL, 7-9 FG, 6-7 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 3 TO, 26 +/- Soo… I was hoping for another positive step returning from injury. That wasn’t just a step, but a damn two-footed leap back to prominence from the Big Paella/Big Spain/Big Boss from Barcelona/my icon. Gasol hasn’t looked laboured at all. He is aggressively stepping into his outside shot and as soon as they go down, it’s game over. The charisma and swagger that he plays with just oozes into every facet of Gasol’s game; scything passes, fluid behind-the-back dribbles, the smooth sauntering up court after knocking down another triple. Given how both bigs are playing, the twin-tower lineup isn’t just a gimmick lineup anymore to thwart Philly’s size. That wink he gave after beating the third quarter buzzer with a smooth triple impregnated half of Barcelona. | |
 A | K. Lowry22 MIN, 11 PTS, 3 REB, 8 AST, 2 STL, 4-9 FG, 2-6 3FG, 1-1 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 5 +/- Phewf. Lowry had a brief injury scare, and in that moment I was fully prepared to sacrifice my left leg. You’d expect KLOE to take it lightly when he returned, but that isn’t how he operates. Lowry pushed the ball on every Washington miss, actively sought contact, and finished around, above, and through defenders. It’s not a new observation, but the way Lowry gets others in rhythm is so refreshing in a league that is heavily turning towards score-first point guards. | |
 A+ | O. Anunoby26 MIN, 18 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 4 STL, 8-13 FG, 2-6 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 4 TO, 8 +/- Anunoby is an entirely different player when he doesn’t have the offensive burden on his shoulders. He was a walking bucket in the opening half with a game-high 16 points on 7-for-8 shooting. O.G. walked onto the floor, grabbed Bradley Beal, and neatly put him in his pocket, silencing the All-Star for much of the game. There isn’t many better one-on-one defenders in the game today. | |
 A+ | N. Powell30 MIN, 28 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 10-17 FG, 4-9 3FG, 4-5 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 22 +/- Somebody tell Norm this isn’t the playoffs! The dude absolutely crucified some gangly centre who looked to be the lovechild of Andris Biedrins and Jan Vesely. Powell has been on a hot streak shooting the ball but more impressive has been how smoothly he has assumed the number one scoring role with the bench unit and Gasol. Now this version of the Raps bench mob is fun. It is telling that Powell has become Nurse’ go-to guy for ATO plays, and he rarely misses on those looks. | |
 A | T. Davis24 MIN, 23 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST, 0 STL, 9-16 FG, 5-7 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, 21 +/- Wasn’t an ideal start for Davis, coughing up the ball in a few pick-and-roll scenarios and a brainless and-one hack in transition during the first half. However, in the second half Davis didn’t stutter, confidently stepping into triples and swooping down the court for a beautiful finish in transition. It is really impressive to see how short Davis’ memory for such a young player. He then went scorched earth during garbage time which is always fun. | |
 B | P. McCaw22 MIN, 2 PTS, 0 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 1-3 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 20 +/- Let’s keep this space positive. McCaw was fine, he moved the ball well to open shooters and took care of the ball. Not much else to note. | |
 B+ | R. Hollis-Jefferson19 MIN, 4 PTS, 2 REB, 5 AST, 3 STL, 1-2 FG, 0-0 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 22 +/- Hollis-Jefferson is such a luxury in this end of bench role. He doesn’t need heavy minutes to find a rhythm and fits nicely next to Gasol on the bench, who masks his shooting deficiencies. Hollis-Jefferson is always brimming with energy and feeds off of the team’s flowing offence, his five assists a testament to his passing ability. | |
 Inc | M. Thomas5 MIN, 3 PTS, 0 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 1-1 FG, 1-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 1 +/- Garbage time, not much to note. | |
 Inc | S. Johnson5 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 1 +/- Garbage time, not much to note. | |
 Inc | C. Boucher5 MIN, 2 PTS, 2 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 1-2 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 1 +/- Garbage time, not much to note. | |
 Inc | M. Miller5 MIN, 2 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 1-1 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 1 +/- Garbage time, not much to note. | |
 B+ | Nick Nurse I loved Nurse’s decision to maintain the massive starting lineup. Ibaka is on a tear right now and kept Toronto afloat, it is just that (for now) he gets those minutes. This game was a blow-out from the beginning so there wasn’t many tough decisions for Nurse to make. | |
Things We Saw
- The new norm for Norm?
The majority of Powell’s five years in Toronto has been defined by inconsistency. We’ve gotten Playoff Powell in the biggest moments, but there have equivalent disappearing acts. He is no doubt a quality player, it is just those ‘wow’ moments have teased us for years. I’m not ready to fully conclude that this is Powell’s norm (excuse the pun) now, but I’m really intrigued. The difficulty of his three-point shots has increased yet his efficiency hasn’t dropped. - The injury gods love teasing us…
Anyone who denies having tears well up in their eyes the moment Lowry collapsed to the floor and writhed in pain is a liar. Injuries have been an unwanted storyline for much of Toronto’s season, and it felt inevitable that Lowry would go down the moment the Raptors patch together a semblance of health. Thankfully, it was just knee knock and the entire fanbase can let out a collective sigh of relief. - Smooth sailing from the start
Toronto blew the game open early, torching the porous Wizards defence to the tune of 68% from the floor in the first quarter. They thrived in transition, generating 12 quick points off of eight turnovers, mainly courtesy of Anunoby. Once the Raptors get out on the run it’s game over. Other than a small blip during the third, Toronto dominated in every conceivable way. What a way to start the weekend!
