Last year, the Toronto Raptors didn’t repeat, but we watched the champs get their rings and uncover the championship banner in Toronto. This was THE moment. Although The Raptors 2020-21 season was underwhelming, marked by COVID-19 related issues, injury, and unpredictability, the team still put on some grand performances.
The Raptors showed that when COVID-19 wasn’t completely derailing their momentum and flow this season, they can still play well against some of the best teams in the game. If only they were allowed to play in Canada.
Kyle Lowry was still able to scorch opponents from deep, Pascal Siakam proved his quality as a power forward, and the likes of Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. showed off their scoring chops.
The Raptors didn’t translate some of their best performances into wins this season, but that doesn’t make some of the highs from this year any less jaw-dropping.
Season highs for Lowry & Siakam! 🤯@pskills43: 39 points, 13 boards@Klow7: 37 points, 11 assists, 8 threes#WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/UCo3rh9nph
— NBA (@NBA) May 3, 2021
Top 4 moments from the Toronto Raptors’ 2020-21 season.
4. Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam scorch the Lakers
On May 2, a shorthanded 27-38 Raptors squad dominated the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers with Lebron James and Anthony Davis in the lineup. In that game, Lowry and Siakam combined to score 76 points.
Lowry showed the Lakers, who were interested in trading for him at the deadline before ultimately backing out of the deal due to their hesitance to include Talen Horton-Tucker in the deal, and his doubters that he still has a lot left in the tank.
Toronto Raptors: Kyle Lowry dominated the Lakers.
Lowry made eight 3-pointers, playing his most aggressive and lively game of the season. He looked like the Lowry that we saw in Game 6 of the finals. Lowry ended the game with 37 points and 11 assists, on 60 % shooting.
Siakam showed that at his best, he is unguardable, scoring on Anthony Davis whenever he wanted. Siakam looked like the All-Nba player many expected him to be for the entire season, arguably having a better game than Lowry. Siakam ended the game with 39 points, 13 rebounds, and two blocks. This was one of the best performances in Lowry and Siakam’s career.