Toronto Raptors: Top five performances from perfect Week 16

3. Serge Ibaka

Opponent: Indiana Pacers

Stat line: 30 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 62 FG%

Serge Ibaka is definitely an artistic guy off the court, but that hasn’t taken away from his performance on it which continues to be spectacular. Ibaka is having a career year and has been a big reason why this Raptors team is where it is today. Marc Gasol’s hamstring issues have forced Ibaka to step up, he’s done so in a BIG WAY. Ibaka has benefitted from a level of scoring that Gasol, so far, has been unable to provide on a consistent basis. Ibaka’s passing is also showing noticeable signs of improvement.

The game versus Indiana pitted Ibaka against Domantas Sabonis and rim-protecting beast, Myles Turner. It was going to be a hard matchup for Ibaka, but No. 9 has shown plenty of times this season he’s up to the challenge of tough tasks. It was a struggle in the first half, with Ibaka tallying 10 points on 55 percent shooting – both Sabonis and Turner were giving Ibaka problems in the first 24 minutes of action.

The second half, however, was a different story. A spark for the Toronto Raptors, created by both Lowry and Ibaka, allowed the team to erase a double-digit deficit to two points. With 30 seconds remaining in the final quarter, Ibaka came to the rescue, hitting a huge three-pointer to give the Raptors a one-point lead that they would hold onto. This game felt like a playoff series.

Serge Ibaka continues to have strong weeks for the Raptors, giving the team a much-needed boost with Gasol being out. With averages of 21.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game, Ibaka just finished a sensational week of basketball and will hope to keep up this level of play moving forward.