3 Raptors takeaways after heartbreaking Game 3 loss to 76ers
By Mike Luciano
2. Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet were awful in the second half.
We love Siakam and VanVleet as much as anyone. One of them is a no-doubt All-NBA player and the other was a deserving All-Star. However, losing in such an embarrassing fashion should be grounds for some discussion about their ability to lead this team when the chips are down.
Siakam’s second half was one of the worst halves of basketball he played in years, as memories of his performance against the Celtics came rushing back. VanVleet didn’t do the Raptors any favors, alternating between missing some open 3-pointers and getting roasted by Tyrese Maxey.
In total, the two went 9-29 from the field while allowing the 76ers to mount a comeback in the most painful way possible.
Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam hurt the Toronto Raptors.
While the Raptors can lean on the fact that they are punching above their weight class and playing without Barnes in the lineup, these are the situations where either an All-Star point guard or max contract power forward should be expected to step up.
Unfortunately, not only did they fail to take Toronto over the top, but both of them saw the clutch gene that brought them so much regular season success disappear.
The Siakam-VanVleet pairing is not going to be broken up anytime soon, but Ujiri and the Raptors should feel slightly less confident in their ability to take this team to the promised land after they squandered a chance at victory.