Pascal Siakam and the Toronto Raptors went into the second half of a back-to-back against the Milwaukee Bucks with as little momentum as possible. With Scottie Barnes and Gary Trent Jr. out once again, it fell on the likes of Yuta Watanabe and OG Anunoby to pick up the pace.
The Raptors looked like they were going to get absolutely embarrassed early on in the game, as they found themselves in a 16-2 hole before some fans found their seats. They managed to rebound and keep pace with the Milwaukee offense and claw back into this contest.
Against all odds, Toronto took home a 103-96 victory that helped them stay firmly above .500 as they embark on a long road trip. Even with Giannis Antetokounmpo in the lineup, Milwaukee lost their third game against Toronto this season.
There were only one or two Raptors that were bad in this game, as Toronto’s stars came through in a big way to help seal the win.
Pascal Siakam carried the Toronto Raptors tonight.
Siakam has been absolutely piling these awards up lately, as he is playing basketball at the same level we saw from him before the COVID-19 pandemic shortened the 2019-20 season. Much to the chagrin of Bobby Portis, Pascal helped take the game over in the second half.
Siakam finished with 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, recording the second triple-double while playing some simply electric defense. The bench underperformed on offense once again, but Siakam seemed totally unbothered.
Bobby Portis wasn't happy about Pascal Siakam's and-1 😳 pic.twitter.com/Sfy1sc1imW
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 16, 2022
Sure, Siakam committed six turnovers, but he was the primary force when it came to getting everyone going on offense, finishing looks inside, and stepping out to the perimeter to hit a jumper when needed.
Siakam was helped out by Fred VanVleet hitting some impactful 3-pointers, Precious Achiuwa playing well in the paint after a very confusing start, and Chris Boucher continuing to come alive on offense. OG Anunoby made clutch shots down the stretch.
If you don’t think he’s an All-Star at this point, you’re not paying attention.
Yuta Watanabe continued to struggle for the Toronto Raptors.
Is it fair to put someone who was swiftly removed from the rotation in this spot after tonight’s game? In this case, Watanabe was so poor early on that his inability to defend made him one of the prime reasons Milwaukee roared out to such a fast start and put the Raptors on their back foot.
Watanabe did not record a shot attempt in his five minutes, ending the night as a -10 before Nurse made the quick change to Justin Champagnie. While the rookie didn’t provide much on offense, his expert rebounding helped fuel Toronto’s second-quarter climb back into this game.
yuta watanabe has not made a field goal since returning from health & safety protocols. the raptors show remains committed to being the most yuta-friendly program.
— alex (@steven_lebron) January 16, 2022
Watanabe still has a role on this team as a high-energy bench player, but it is clear that he doesn’t have the offensive skills to be a consistent threat as a starter. That 26-point, 13-rebound game against Cleveland appears to be more of an outlier than a positive trend.