Last night’s game was never in question for Toronto, from the opening tip you could just tell that it was going to be an easy night for the Raptors. Specifically, Pascal Siakam was playing like a man possessed in his efforts to ensure Toronto would be sending Detroit home with a loss.
Pascal Siakam is a wonderfully talented scorer and that was truly on display last night. Pascal had 32 points, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds en route to this victory and he just made it look so easy all game long. Nobody could stop him from getting to the paint, and when they offered some resistance he effortlessly would spin around them for a soft touch layup. 9 of his 12 makes came in the paint and there just wasn’t a matchup that he couldn’t exploit at any time he chose. The 9 assists came due in large part to Pascal sprinting out in transition and moving the ball up quickly to take advantage of the opportunity. Just another offensive masterclass by Siakam who has been in a slump recently so this is a really welcome sight to see.
OG Anunoby also joined the party last night, adding in 17 points on 63.6 percent shooting along with shooting 3 of 4 from three. The Pistons defense seemed to be confused most of the night as there were a lot of wide open threes, and OG took advantage of that any time he could. He took his time with his jumper, he leaked out in transition and he also made life tough for Detroit on defense.
Jeff Dowtin Jr. got some nice run last night off the bench, Dowtin always adds some great defensive juice off the bench and he just looks like he belongs out there. He screens for others, is quick to move the ball, and has some great burst off the dribble and that was all on display last night as he made sure to make the most of his opportunities. Jeff Dowtin Jr. should be the lead backup guard and he should definitely be coming back for next season on a guaranteed contract.
The Pistons really went with a youthful lineup due to all the injuries they have suffered and this team just wasn’t connected defensively, and simply did not have enough creation on offense to really make Toronto sweat. Really fun game from Jaden Ivey though, he hit many tough shots despite being smothered all game, he found pockets of space to get off mid rangers or burst all the way to the rim, this kid is going to be special.
Toronto’s win last night got them to a record of 36-38 and still has them as the 9th seed behind Atlanta, every game from here on is extremely important and it’s nice to get a freebie like this and have it go your way. Next up is Washington and hopefully the injured guys return se they can swing at Washington with full force.
