Pascal Siakam and the Toronto Raptors are gearing up for their playoff matchup, meaning that Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby were held out from their contest against Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers in the name of health. Gary Trent Jr. and Scottie Barnes would have to carry this team to a win by themselves.
This game could not have started in a worse fashion. After falling behind 17-2 on the back of a 1-11 start from the field, the Raptors quickly took the lead in the second quarter thanks to some surprisingly robust performances out of some of their big-name bench performers and starters alike.
The Raptors came out on top 119-114 despite missing VanVleet’s clutch shot-making and Anunoby’s lockdown defense. While improbable, there is still a chance that Toronto could take the No. 4 seed if they win the remainder of their games and the 76ers lose out.
Considering the circumstances and the quality of their opponent, the Raptors should be thrilled with their performance against a potential playoff adversary. Outside of one or two subpar showings, Toronto should be ecstatic at the moment.
Pascal Siakam was the leader of the Toronto Raptors.
Siakam strengthened his All-NBA case, as he’s uncorking these near triple-double nights with such regularity that it’s almost becoming expected. Trent looked more like the dominant guy we saw in early February, but Siakam was on fire all night long despite missing multiple running mates.
Siakam recorded yet another triple-double with 37 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists. Perhaps the most impressive part of this night was how he was able to slow down James Harden and go right at Joel Embiid in crunch time. This is without question Siakam’s best pro season.
Not sure if Matisse Thybulle could stop Pascal Siakam, not sure if anybody could right now, but he definitely can't do it from his couch.
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) April 8, 2022
When Toronto was stuck in the mud in the first quarter, Siakam was able to get this team back on the right track by generating offense. Withstanding broadsides from Embiid and Harden is not an easy task for most teams, but squads led by Siakam are a bit more adept at that.
The 76ers were clearly missing the ineligible Matisse Thybulle, as they lacked the individual on-ball skill to effectively corral Siakam. With Toronto now an established playoff team, nights like tonight should show the rest of the league how deadly Siakam can be.
Khem Birch was bad once again for the Toronto Raptors.
Scottie Barnes didn’t help his charge for the Rookie of the Year award until the fourth quarter came along, but at least he was able to impact the game in a variety of ways without the gaudy numbers to back it up. Birch continues to get starter minutes, yet fails to do anything with it.
Though the Raptors led going into the fourth quarter, Birch was a -13 in the prior 13 minutes. Putting him on the floor with Precious Achiuwa was a nightmarish concoction that highlighted Birch’s inability to create for himself. His two points and three rebounds prove he was a net negative tonight.
The Raptors missed 10 of their first 11 shots and trailed 17-2... Somehow (Pascal Siakam), they're within 7 points after 1 quarter.
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) April 8, 2022
When Birch was on offense, Embiid was ignoring him completely on defense. This helped him contest the rim on nearly every possession. Smart coaches are going to pick up on that in the postseason, which could make it even tougher for Birch to see extended playoff minutes.