If you enjoy offence, you will enjoy this one.
Oh, boy. The Raptors’ 132-131 victory over Indiana on Wednesday night was an epic game all around, and many Raptors received high marks for it. It was inexplicable (given how bad the team has been offensively most games), nail-biting (all of those missed free throws at the end), and exhilarating, and there haven’t been many Raptors games like that. Here’s the final grade:
SIAKAM PASCAL SIAKAM
The clinic was led by Toronto’s most decorated player. Siakam was unbeatable. Indiana is a bad defensive team, but Myles Turner is the type of rim protector Siakam has had issues with in the past. In this case, no. Siakam had 13 points in the crucial third quarter, four assists (three of which resulted in three-pointers), and hit a three-pointer for the second time in three games. That may not seem like much, but he had missed 15 of his previous 16 three-point attempts before making one against Detroit. Even as the Raptors try to figure out what to do with Siakam on offense and in the long run, you have to admire his professionalism in putting up numbers like this.
A
DANIEL SCHRODER
Schroder appears to be feeling better after tweaking his knee, and he was very effective offensively in this game. He was creating, shooting (over 60% from the field for the second night in a row), and grabbing six rebounds, his second-most as a Raptor. Schroder, like every other Raptor, couldn’t slow down Tyrese Haliburton and company, but no one in the NBA has so far.
B+
SCOTTIE BARNES
Barnes did not have a perfect night, as evidenced by a late free throw miss and three turnovers, as well as 7-17 shooting, but he was still very good. In another game where he did a little bit of everything, he had a game-high 12 rebounds, four steals, and hit a couple of three-pointers. His driving dunk was also one of the game’s pivotal plays.
MALACHI FLYNN
Flynn’s two big-time quarters were enough for us to declare this his best game of the season. Flynn hit all three of his shot attempts, two of which were three-pointers, and handed out two assists in the Raptors’ game-changing second quarter. He was even better in the fourth quarter, assisting the Raptors in staying close to the Pacers and eventually winning. Flynn made a big impact in the quarter by easily getting to the hoop.
C
JAKOB POELTL’S
Poeltl’s game was not flashy, but he was quietly effective on offense. Poeltl had six assists, finally displaying an aspect of his game that we saw so often last season or while he was with the Spurs. Five of the assists resulted in points in the paint. On the other hand, despite taking a season-low four shots, he has made at least 19 of his last 22 attempts.
OG ANUNOBY
One has to wonder how many more points the Pacers would have scored if Toronto’s best defender had been unable to play in the state where he attended college. Anunoby made things slightly more difficult for Haliburton and the others, including a key defensive play late in the game. He also had four assists and received numerous looks in the paint. Anunoby wasn’t exactly hitting his shots, but there’s no denying the Raptors are a better team when he’s on the court.
D+
GARY TRENT
Honestly, this may be too harsh, but Trent missed two free throws late in the game, lowering his free throw percentage to 57%, and he appeared lost at times. He hasn’t been himself in most games this year, which is one of the reasons the Raptors have yet to live up to expectations. It’s strange to see a player who has shot 82% from the line in his career, including 84% and 85% in the last two seasons, get the yips.
OTTO PORTER, CHRIS BOUCHER
THREE STARS
1 Pascal Siakam
2 Tyrese Haliburton
3 Buddy Hield
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