If you had told me that the Raptors would beat the (very good) Pacers quite handily in the same game that Kyle Lowry had to leave in the third quarter and Pascal Siakam went 0-11 for part of the game, I wouldn’t have been surprised. That’s right! I wouldn’t be. I’m bucking the expectations of that lead in, but only because these Raptors are as deep as they are competitive – very, on both accounts – and they refuse to quit. Erm, maybe it would be more apt given the circumstances to say, they refuse to lose.
Two and a half very good Lowry quarters, a significant arrival on OG Anunoby’s behalf, and another incredible fourth quarter from Terence Davis II were the high points of the game, certainly. However (comma) Siakam’s range defensively, and Serge Ibaka’s continued excellence shouldn’t be overlooked either. The Raptors have been remarkable at teasing the most out of players, and last night’s game against the Pacers was no different. Absolute competence from top to bottom on the roster, with a few sprinkles of excellence.
The excellence started early, with Lowry receiving the bulk of the Pacers collective defensive attention, and turning it into buckets for his teammates. Siakam was an early beneficiary of Lowry’s selflessness, as Coach Nurse decided to use him more liberally as a screener in this game. If you set screens, you’ll be in closer proximity to Lowry’s playmaking, which is quite good. Not only that, but Siakam got a couple possessions as the ball handler in pick n’ roll situations – a play-type that most pundits believe is being shelved for playoff use – and flashed some great pace and patience.
Defensively, the Pacers had their hands full trying to keep up with Siakam and Lowry. The saving grace for them was that they were getting pretty good looks on the other end. Sabonis was doing a pretty good job of commanding doubles from the Raptors defense, and the Pacers are pretty active off-ball as a team. Brogdon and Oladipo both utilized Sabonis as a screener and were dynamite for the Pacers early on. A lot of their early offense was built off of the advantages they created in those sets, with both getting to the rim with regularity.
*Brogdon & Oladipo in the first half
These things swung the Raptors way in the third quarter, though. The Pacers were even more aware of Lowry on his forays to the basket, leaving gaping holes behind the help-side for OG Anunoby to sneak in for dunks, or to nestle into the corner for wide-open threes. After Ibaka had kept the Raptors offense afloat in the second quarter, the Raptors opened up the second half ready to deliver the finishing blow to the Pacers. In addition to figuring out some of their offense (Siakam was in the midst of an 0-11 funk after RHJ whacked him in the eye), the Raptors were really effective in shutting down the Pacers screening actions. They switched quite liberally, and sold out to negate the post-touches and the drives. The Pacers weren’t feeling quite as hot from downtown as they did in the game previous, and the Raptors feasted on their disinterest in shooting.
Just as the Raptors were pulling away, though, Lowry went rumbling into the paint. After making a fantastic shot through contact, Lowry’s helter-skelter drive knocked him straight into Ibaka, who was also making his way into the paint with some urgency. This resulted in Lowry exiting the game, and him being ruled (likely) out for today’s game vs. the Nets. I’m sure it’s not as severe as the type of whiplash you would get after a car crash – 6 weeks to recover, apparently – and more so the Raptors trying to find a serious term to describe him being shaken up pretty bad. All indications are that he should be okay for All-Star festivities etc.
*from Fred VanVleet’s Instagram
So, the Raptors were left to close the game without the terrific Lowry, and with a version of Siakam that was mired in a terrible funk after his eye was attacked, with great malice of forethought, by Rondae Hollis-Hitman.
Luckily, the Raptors employ Ibaka, who has been one of the most incredibly dependable players over the last two seasons offensively in the NBA. And perhaps even luckier, that Terence Davis II fell into their laps as an undrafted free agent. The Raptors coasted to a victory as Davis II scored 11 of their 23 points in the final frame. Looking the part Ray Allen when he was hunting 3-pointers off of screens, and Dwyane Wade when he was creeping along the baseline looking for ORBS. Yet another explosion from the Raptors incredible young talent. And his cannonball into the game created a wave that the Raptors rode to the finish line.
All in all, the Raptors secured their 13th straight win. Enlarging the already impressive winning streak, and finally, maybe, generating some buzz among American pundits; now that they can put this years record next to last years, and gasp audibly.
The Raptors have been professional with teams under .500 this year. Dispatching them with relative ease, but we’ve been waiting for things to come around with the better teams. This sweep of the home and home with Indiana is a big accomplishment for the Raptors, and hopefully something to build on. All-Star weekend can’t come soon enough, these fellas need to get healthy.
Have a blessed day.
