Last night was a game that had some extra sentimental layers to it. Raptors fans were able to see longtime Raptor Norman Powell return to Scotiabank for the first time since he was traded and they also got to see Kawhi make just his second trip back to Toronto since leaving in free agency. With games like this it’s easy to get caught up in the nostalgia and memories you shared with those returning players but at the end of the day you still have a job to do.
This game began as a back and forth heavyweight match between Toronto and Los Angeles, Toronto began the game with some of the most cohesive defense we’ve seen from them all season. The rotations were crisp and they were making it really tough on LA to get clean looks. Toronto also looked great in transition and early offense, the first few plays resulted in two VanVleet layups along with a wide open IG ANunoby three which he knocked down which led to a timeout by LA after a mere two minutes into the game. If these initial plays served as any indicator then Toronto was going to make this game a fight for LA. One of the glaring issues of Toronto showed its ugly head early on in the game and that issue was size. Not only size but rebounding against that size. Ivica Zubac finished the first quarter with 8 points and 7 rebounds and he just seemed to be too much on the interior for Toronto. Despite this size issue and Pascal Siakam beginning the game cold, Toronto still found themselves ahead after the conclusion of the first quarter and things were looking up.
The second quarter is where the shotmaking and just overall shot creation the Clippers have proved to be too much for Toronto, namely Paul George and Norman Powell. Norman Powell went for 11 points in this quarter in many different ways. Whether it was attacking a defender in drop or off an out of bounds play that saw him free for a layup Norm was putting the ball in the hole. It’s almost funny that there seemed to be a little battle brewing between Gary Trent Jr. and Norman Powell, two players who were traded for each other. Paul George really made it a struggle for Toronto defensively because even with OG Anunoby draped all over him he still found a way to score the ball. This game was able to stay close due in large part to OG Anunoby providing a calm, reliable source of scoring in the second quarter. While Pascal Siakam was getting off to a 2-11 start, OG made it his mission to drive the ball to the rim by using his strength to get there. Paul George was on him and he had no issues bumping George off his spots to get to where he wanted.
The second half is where things got out of hand for Toronto. In a sick case of irony it was Norman Powell who was doing the most damage against Toronto and he was doing it in every way Toronto wants their bench players to contribute. Norman got another 11 points in the third quarter and he seemed to be unstoppable for brief stretches and you could just tell that this was a game he had circled on the calendar. Pascal Siakam had an amazing second half that was the polar opposite of his first half. After the 2-11 start Pascal finished the game 11-13 and he was just relentlessly attacking the rim and showing off the beautiful touch around the basket we know he has. Pascal had 27 in the second half and it just shows what a special player he is and he was essentially the sole reason this game finished as close as it did.
This game featured more good shooting from OG Anunoby(2-3 from three), some great scottie moments on defense against bigger players, and Just a remarkable turnaround from Pascal mid game but it wasn’t enough as Zubac’s 23 points and 16 rebound along with 22 and 23 points from Powell and George respectively proved to be too much for Toronto in the long run. If there was ever a game where you show Masai and tell him to invest in a center it would be this one.
