Boy, oh boy. The Raptors’ 132-131 victory against Indiana on Wednesday night was a terrific contest overall, and several of them received high marks.
Not many Raptors games have been like that, so it was surprising (given how awful the team has been offensively in most games), nerve-wracking (because of all those missed free shots in the end), and somewhat thrilling. This is the grade card: PASCAL SIAKAM The most decorated player in Toronto was leading this clinic. Siakam could not be stopped. Although Indiana is a dreadful defensive club, Myles Turner is still the kind of rim protector Siakam has occasionally struggled against. Not in this instance. In the pivotal third quarter, Siakam scored 13 points and dished out four assists,
That may not seem like much, but before to making one against Detroit, he had missed 15 out of 16 three-pointers. You have to respect Siakam’s professionalism for putting up performances like these, even while the Raptors try to decide how best to use him going forward and offensively.
DENNIS SCHODER
Since he injured his knee, Schroder seems to be feeling better, and he played with a lot of offensive strength in this game. For the second straight night, he was creating, making shots (over 60% from the field), and grabbing six rebounds, which was his second-highest total as a Raptor. Schroder was unable to slow Tyrese Haliburton and company down, just like every other Raptor, but thus far no one