3. Norman Powell
Opponent: Dallas Mavericks
Stat line: 26 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 60% field goal
A similar situation to that of Fred VanVleet against the Dallas Mavericks. The team was in desperate need of scoring with Siakam struggling and the team tired after playing three straight road games against Western Conference teams.
However, this game was important for Norman Powell for another reason. He finally showed what he can do in the starting lineup until Lowry comes back. He had a stinker of a game against the Trailblazers shooting 0-6 from the field so he needed a bounce-back badly.
He had it going from the 3-point line early as he was able to score 13 points in the first half, nine of those points coming by way of the triple. While the team still faltered in the second half on offense, it was not Powell’s fault. While he wasn’t much of a factor in the third quarter, he had a monster fourth, scoring 13 points to push his total to 26 on the night.
His 3-point shooting was impressive as he shot 6-8 from deep on the night. Consistency has always been an issue for Powell, but if he can put it all together during this time without Lowry, Powell could play himself into a bigger role going forward.