Raptors defeat uneven Rockets without Nick Nurse or Pascal Siakam

Kyle Lowry, Norman Powell, and the Toronto Raptors were two steps away from disaster before what should’ve been an easy win on the schedule against a sliding Houston Rockets team officially tipped. Not only was head coach Nick Nurse not available, but neither was star big man Pascal Siakam.

Nurse and five of Toronto’s assistant coaches were not on the bench for this game, and Siakam was also held out for the same reason, forcing interim head coach and Spanish national team commander Sergio Scariolo to juggle the lineups.

The decision to put Chris Boucher into the lineup proved to be exceedingly smart, as the Raptors ran right through a tissue-thin Rockets defense that sorely missed the presence of breakout star Christian Wood.

Not only did Toronto take down Houston by a score of 122-111, but they managed to climb back to .500, fending off competition in a VERY crowded Eastern Conference. At 17-17, they are now in a very comfortable spot in the East.

The Raptors played well without Nick Nurse and Pascal Siakam

Stephen Silas’ Rockets play very similarly to Mike D’Antoni’s Houston teams, as they love to push the pace and shoot 3s early. While that philosophy helped them jump out to a quick lead, Toronto managed to flip the switch near the end of the first quarter.

Toronto really caught fire in the second quarter, putting up 37 points on the back of some very efficient scoring from Powell and Lowry. Toronto’s backcourt needed to step up with Siakam out for an undisclosed length of time, and they did so by pummeling the Rockets’ defense from behind the arc.

While the Raptors rode more hot shooting and poor defense from the Rockets to an 18-point advantage in the late third quarter, Houston managed rally and get the game within seven points in the early stages of the final stanza. The lead shrunk to six with four minutes to go.

However, thanks to Powell taking over in the final quarter and the likes of Yuta Watanabe and DeAndre’ Bembry making tough shots off the bench, Toronto was able to hold on and pull out the victory.

Powell and VanVleet led the way for Toronto, scoring 30 and 25 points, respectively. Lowry helped out totaling a triple-double (20 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists). Boucher scored seven points,  hauled in eight boards, and blocked three shots in Siakam’s stead.

For Houston, Victor Oladipo led the way with 24 points, while the ageless Eric Gordon added 17 off of the bench. John Wall, who suffered a nasty-looking ankle injury, managed to chip in 21 points and 11 assists in the game, but it wasn’t enough to give the Rockets a win.

The Raptors will be back in action on Sunday night, as they will take on the Chicago Bulls, one of their main competitors that could potentially jostle for playoff position. Hopefully, a good chunk of the personnel that was unable to participate in this game is cleared to take on Zach LaVine and the Bulls.