Three takeaways from Toronto Raptors critical Game 3 win over Magic

The Toronto Raptors squeaked out a very important Game 3 victory over the Orlando Magic. What were some of the biggest takeaways from the win?

It certainly wasn’t pretty, but in the playoffs, it doesn’t have to be. The Toronto Raptors survived by defeating the Orlando Magic in a barroom-brawl type of affair. 98-93 in a Game 3 that felt like a film session from the early 2000s.

The Toronto Raptors started off hot, jumping to an early 10-point lead. However, the Magic responded, and after two quarters, it was a three-point game.

The second half was a back-and-forth affair, until a Raptor-run late in the third quarter. Midway through the fourth, the lead grew all the way up to 17. It looked like the game was over, but the Magic — like cockroaches — just would not die. (Magic fans that cockroach comment really is a compliment)

They battled back, hit some shots, and brought the game within one score with under a minute remaining.

With 20-seconds left and a three-point Raptor lead, Kawhi Leonard took a difficult stepback He missed. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Kyle Lowry came to the rescue with a critical tip-out to seal the game.

So, what did we learn from the win? Here are my three big takeaways.

1. Pascal Siakam

Pascal Siakam went from role player to star overnight. In Game 3, he dropped 30 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists. If that wasn’t enough, he posted a true-shooting-percentage of 73.4-percent  and recorded zero turnovers in the process as well.

Jonathan Isaac was supposed to represent a matchup problem for Siakam. So far this series, he’s had none little to slow Siakam down. Pascal is one of three players averaging 24/10/3 this postseason. The other two are Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden. I’d say that’s good.

He’s a force to deal with every possession, and when his shot rolling, a top-20 player in the NBA. Not that it particularly matters, but is Siakam the Raptors second best player right now?

Pace/Physicality

The Orlando Magic came out with the gameplan of setting the tone early with physical play. As a home underdog, they set the atmosphere for the entire game. If you’re physical early, the refs aren’t going to call everything.

This entire series has been played at the Magic’s tempo. The playoffs are always played a tick slower than the regular season, but the Magic have found a way to grind this series to a halt. The two teams have averaged 95 possessions so far, with last night’s game taking only 93.

The Magic have been particularly effective slowing the Raptors transition game. Pascal isn’t picking up his usual leak-outs and Kyle Lowry isn’t hitting his usual full-court dimes.

If Toronto was able to impose their will in terms of pacing, would Game 3 have been so close? Would the series be 3-0 right now?

Marc Gasol’s defense

Marc Gasol has been absolutely everywhere in this series. Yes, stopping Nikola Vucevic has been a team effort, but Gasol’s importance to the scheme shouldn’t be understated. Gasol is an absolute rock in the low-block, and it’s no coincidence that Vuc had his best stretch with Marc on the bench.

Offensively, he keeps the ball moving and spaces the floor with his shooting. He was hit with some ticky-tack foul trouble in this one but still finished with nine points on 4-6 shooting.

A great passer out of the short roll, he also prevents the Magic from blitzing and double-teaming players like Kawhi Leonard. Great defense and low-usage, highly efficient offense, this is exactly who Toronto traded for.