Pascal Siakam and the Toronto Raptors had the opportunity to jump to 2-0 on the young season laid right in front of them, as they were ready to take on a rival Brooklyn Nets team that was fresh off getting smacked around by the upstart Pelicans in their home opener.
Even though Kevin Durant was off to start the game, the Nets were able to lean on Kyrie Irving’s mind-bending scoring abilities to keep it within striking distance at halftime. A 15-4 run to begin Q3 by Brooklyn was answered by a 20-2 effort from Toronto, giving the Raptors a one-point lead heading into the fourth.
After Siakam and Fred VanVleet traded blows with Durant and Irving throughout the second half, a dagger of a 3-pointer by Royce O’Neale ended up giving the Nets their first victory of the season in a 109-105 shootout at Barclays Center.
The Raptors were a one-man show for large portions of the night, though a few other teammates played a hand in getting the offense going. On the other side, a couple of players need to shake off whatever struggles they had before a road date against Miami.
Pascal Siakam was the leader for the Toronto Raptors tonight.
While Gary Trent Jr. got the scoring started early in the game with some efficient 3-point shooting, Siakam was completely unconscious in the second quarter. He had 18 points, eight rebounds, and four assists after just 15 minutes on the court, and his night somehow managed to get even better.
Siakam would finish this game with a triple-double thanks to an absurd 37 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists while shooting 15-20 from the field and 13-14 inside the arc. Siakam said that he wants to be viewed as a top-five player in this league, and nights like this are going to help him further that end.
Pascal Siakam has scored or assisted on 28 of the Raptors' 46 points and there's still 3:47 left in the half.
— Keerthika Uthayakumar (@keerthikau) October 22, 2022
The fact that Siakam is somehow more efficient and skilled speaks to just how much undiscovered talent remains to be mined from one of the best players the NBA has on offer. Sign us up for a few more of these games this season.
O.G. Anunoby looked rusty for the Toronto Raptors.
While Anunoby also started slowly in the first game of the year against Cleveland, he made up for that sketchy start by hitting some huge shots in the fourth quarter that helped Toronto preserve the lead. The third period featured a few untimely turnovers and poor results trying to score in isolation.
Anunoby scored just 10 points on the night, going 3-9 from the field while turning it over four times. He played well defensively, but that should be expected for a player with the history of quality production he has on that side of the ball. The offense remains a bit inconsistent.
Great defense by OG Anunoby. Better offense from Kyrie Irving.
— Chris Milholen (@ChrisMilholen) October 22, 2022
Nets up 86-79 with 9:32 left.
The Raptors have enough proven talent on the offensive end to win some regular season games against good teams with O.G. not having his best night. However, if these iffy starts continue, the Raptors may not be so lucky against many of the conference’s top dogs.