TAMPA, Fla. – Pascal Siakam scored 27 points and OG Anunoby added 25 as the Toronto Raptors dismissed the Brooklyn Nets, 114-103, in Amalie Arena on Wednesday evening.
Anunoby led the Raptors effort in the third quarter as he scored 11 of his 25 points. He hit a three in an 11-2 run to start the third period that gave Toronto a 68-62 lead with 9:32 to play. Then he, Siakam and Fred Van Vleet each netted a triple in another 11-2 run that gave Toronto a 90-72 lead with 3:53 left in the period.
The Nets’ Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 28 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. He was able to get to the line in the fourth quarter as the Nets crept closer.
Three Stars of the Game:
1- OG Anunoby (25/3/1) – He staked the Raptors to the early lead with his three-point game and helped close out the Nets as well. Anunoby is right there with Pascal Siakam in being atop the defensive game plans of coaches around the NBA.
2 – Pascal Siakam (27/9/6) – Siakam was really solid when the Raptors needed plays in the clutch. He had eight fourth quarter points as he was a key in quickly turning a 92-86 lead into a 104-89 advantage with 7:37 remaining.
3 – Kyrie Irving (28/11/3) – Irving scored 16 of his 28 points in the second half as Brooklyn needed those to keep from getting routed. He made some big plays and clustered some scores together, but could never quite get control of the game away from Siakam and Anunoby.
It was over when: The Raptors took the game over in the third quarter as they made 13-of-24 shots, including seven threes. However, Bruce Brown hit a three and Landry Shamet scored a layup at the beginning of the fourth quarter to cut the Raptors lead to 92-86 with 10:35 to play. The 12-3 run after that, where Siakam scored seven points in three minutes, stretched the lead to 15 and Toronto was not threatened again.
Cut the Nets: It’s hard to imagine how Brooklyn is going to look when James Harden and Kevin Durant come back from injury and station their games on the same floor as Irving. All these guys are scorers and command the ball to be at peak effectiveness. Bruce Brown and Joe Harris have similar games as role players. Brown finished with 21 points and 14 boards, while Harris had 14 points, including four triples in the first quarter.
It’s a Rap’: Add a rested and healthy Kyle Lowry, Van Vleet, and Siakam and this team can battle with most anyone that is placed in front of them. Even at age 34, Lowry is one of those players that you just feel comfortable with in letting him accentuate his game. He finished with 14 points in 35 minutes, while Van Vleet had 17, including five threes, in 35 minutes. A healthy Toronto Raptors team in a play-in scenario could become the 7-seed and would be a tough out in the Eastern Conference.