Toronto Raptors: Top three Serge Ibaka games of 19-20

Serge Ibaka has put forth a career-year for the Toronto Raptors in the 2019-20 NBA season. What are his top three games of the year?

One of the most enigmatic figures in the NBA, Serge Ibaka never disappoints off the court. With his vivacious sense of style and successful cooking show “How Hungry Are You?”, Ibaka is one of the NBA’s most entertaining players. Thankfully, Ibaka has replicated his success onto the court for the Toronto Raptors this season.

Now in his 11th season in the NBA, Ibaka is a veteran of the game and something of a chameleon. Over the course of his career, Ibaka has maturated from a shot-blocking big man with limited offensive value to a stretch five with keen defensive acumen. In the 2019-20 NBA season, Ibaka is probably delivering the best campaign of his career up until this point.

With the NBA on an indefinite hiatus, it’s time to reflect on Serge Ibaka’s career-year. A season which has seen him average 16 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game, shooting 52-percent from the field and 40-percent from three.

Ibaka has been in fine fettle this season, helping the Raptors to a 46-18 record and the second seed in the Eastern Conference. What have been his three top performances of the season?

3. at Brooklyn Nets – February 12

It’s not ideal starting with a losing effort, especially since it was the game that halted the Toronto Raptors franchise-record winning streak, but Serge Ibaka was in dynamic form as the Raptors went down swinging against the Brooklyn Nets back in February. The Raptors may have lost, but it certainly wasn’t any fault of Ibaka’s.

Ibaka scored a game-high 28 points on 10-of-17 shooting, adding nine rebounds, two blocks, and one steal onto the proceedings. If anything, it was the Raptors’ bench that dropped the ball, scoring just nine points against the Nets’ 27 points. The first half was fairly prosperous from Ibaka, scoring eight points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field.

However, with the Raptors needing to mount a comeback in the second half, Ibaka turned the jets on. He attacked the defensive glass with ferocity and took the game to the Nets on both ends. Ibaka scored a further 20 points in the second half, including 11 points in the fourth quarter.

Ibaka would go on to knock down five three-pointers in the game, the norm in one of the best three-point shooting years in his career. His energy gave the Raptors the lift they needed, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. Either way, he was probably the best player on the court in that game.

2. vs Indiana Pacers – February 5

The first of a home-and-home meeting against the Indiana Pacers and the final game before the trade deadline. In this game, the Raptors were still without Marc Gasol so Ibaka and Pascal Siakam would be matched up against the traditional frontcourt pairing of Myles Turner and a first-time NBA All-Star Domantas Sabonis.

Sabonis would notch a triple-double – the third of the season and his career – but Ibaka would get the last laugh as the Raptors would run out 119-118. Overall, it was the trio of Ibaka, Kyle Lowry, and Pascal Siakam who got the job done for the Raptors.

Ibaka was a monster in the paint for the Raptors and he finished the game with 30 points, seven rebounds, three assists, one steal. He knocked down two triples on seven attempts, but it was his domination in the paint that did he damage for the Raptors. He finished a -8 on the game, but any time you put up 30 points in a winning effort, you’ve done your job.

1. at Utah Jazz – March 9

Ah, the most recent game for the Toronto Raptors. The last time they stepped foot on an NBA court before the league was suspended due to the outbreak of coronavirus also coincided with Serge Ibaka’s best game of the 2019-20 NBA season (so far).

With Gasol out once again – this time on the second night of a back-to-back following his return against the Sacramento Kings one night earlier – Ibaka would be face-to-face with one of the NBA’s best centers in Rudy Gobert.

The result?

Ibaka finished with a game-high 27 points on 9-of-17 shooting, adding 13 rebounds, and three assists. Once again, his three-point shooting was on fire, knocking down 71-percent of his triples on seven attempts. Ibaka was all energy in this game, just as the Toronto Raptors need him to be.

Not only did he finish with a game-high 27 points, but Ibaka also had a game-high +/- with +28 in 36 minutes of action. With Ibaka kicking into his best form just before the NBA hiatus, one can only hope he fits back in once the league restarts.

While Ibaka is set to be a free agent at the end of the season, these performances could encourage the Raptors to give him a sizable amount of money in the summer. If they don’t someone else could.