Toronto stays alive as Siakam scores 34 in win

The Toronto Raptors survived on Saturday, as they took down the Philadelphia 76ers 110-102 at Scotiabank arena. Pascal Siakam bounced back after a disappointing game three performance, this time scoring 34 points, while also grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out five assists.

Siakam was noticeably aggressive in both hunting his shot, and creating opportunities for himself at the free throw line. Siakam finished with 15 free throw attempts in the afternoon, knocking down 13 of them.

Gary Trent Jr. was the next leading scorer for the Raptors, as he netted 24 points. The pace of the game was sluggish to start for both teams, as there really weren’t any easy baskets in the first. Both teams managed to score 24 in the first quarter as neither team could really get it going offensively.

The second quarter saw the Raptors gain a boost from their bench unit, as Thaddeus Young came in and dropped Joel Embiid with a nifty behind-the-back move that sent Embiid to his knees. Young proceeded to finish the highlight with a mid-range jumper at the top of the key. Young had eight points, three rebounds, and three assists at halftime.

Scottie Barnes also provided a big boost off the bench in the second, as he came in and pushed the pace for the Raptors. He grabbed five rebounds and helped the Raptors on both ends of the court with a defensive stop on Embiid while also setting up teammates as the primary ball handler initiating offence.

Embiid in particular struggled in this one, as he is dealing with a thumb injury that will require surgery once the playoffs are over. He had eight points on three-for-ten shooting by halftime as the Raptors took a 54-49 lead going into the third quarter.

The third was just as tightly contested as the first half, with two points separating the teams. With the season on the line in the fourth, Siakam took over the game and scored 15 of his 34 points in the fourth, as the Raptors survived to play game five on Monday.

Tip-ins

The Raptors lost Fred VanVleet as he strained his left hip in the second quarter. His status for Monday is currently unknown. Toronto got back Scottie Barnes in this one, and prior to tip-off it was revealed that Barnes took home Rookie of the Year honours. Barnes just narrowly beat out Cleveland big man Evan Mobley in the closest Rookie of the Year race in NBA history (as of the current voting system circa 2002-03).

The Raptors will look to continue to extend this series, as they take on the 76ers in Philadelphia on Monday. Tip-off begins at 8:00pm EST.