Siakam StealS Show from lin
Career-best 44 points pace raptors as newcomer makes debut in win over Wiz
Another career high for Pascal Siakam is nothing to sneeze at, but in a season in which Siakam has gone from bench player to relied-upon scorer, it’s hardly surprising.
In the long run what may turn out to be far more beneficial in terms of the Raptors taking that giant leap to NBA finalist this year came in the form of OG Anunoby, who has clearly heard the call for more from his head coach and is now delivering at both ends of the floor.
The combination of Siakam’s career high 44 points (and 10 rebounds) and Anunoby’s own career high of 22, not to mention his best individual defensive game of the year, were both needed to help send Toronto into the all-star break riding a six-game winning streak with a 129-120 win over the visiting Washington Wizards.
The fact that those two both managed to steal the show from Jeremy Lin on the night of his debut following that buyout market pickup by the Raps says something given how wildly popular Lin is already in this city.
Few places outside of New York enjoyed Linsanity as much as Toronto did six years ago. Now that he’s on the roster, that same segment of the fan base is back and threatening to cheer Linsanity back into existence. Siakam came out with just over 20 seconds left in the game to a standing ovation from the crowd and hugs all around from his teammates on the bench.
Anunoby didn’t get the same treatment, but his game, while not as big in scoring or scope, was probably more encouraging based on where he has been for much of the season.
rIGhT InTo The MIX
The Jeremy Lin era in Toronto, unlike the Marc Gasol debut, went from zero to 60 almost immediately.
With Gasol, the Raptors have been able to ease in, taking a player who has known only starting in the NBA and was brought off the bench, at least for the early stages of his Raptors initiation.
Lin, who has been coming off the bench for the Atlanta Hawks until now, and averaging 19.7 minutes a game, might see quite an uptick in playing time for the next few weeks.
Lin, like Gasol did, comes in basically replacing one man. Gasol came in and Jonas Valanciunas went out. Lin arrives soon after Delon Wright leaves.
The difference is the injury to Fred VanVleet. The Raptors’ primary backup to Kyle Lowry and a teammate who spends a lot of time on the floor with him, VanVleet underwent surgery on his injured left thumb Wednesday.
The initial prognosis is he will be out at least three weeks.
What it means for the newcomer Lin is more playing time and opportunity. Lin officially signed his contract two hours before game time on Wednesday after clearing league waivers. Normally, the Raptors would be in no rush to get him on the floor with the NBA all-star break just around the corner, but with VanVleet out, there was no waiting.
Lin, 30, arrived early afternoon and spent the day getting ready even before the contract became official. He had to wait for the waiver process to play out, but was on the floor in Scotiabank Arena soon after that with his normal pre-game shooting routine.
Nurse, who knows how to get players up to speed with a new team at a moment’s notice, courtesy of his G-League and international experience, was at it again Wednesday with Lin, mere days after doing the same with Gasol.
“Well, we lost Delon Wright in the trade and now Freddy’s out as well with an injury, so he’s our backup point guard right now,” Nurse said. “So he goes from possibly a combo guard, 1-2, to straight into the backup one, as of right now.”
Nurse didn’t have a lot of time with Lin leading up to his debut on Wednesday night, but he made the most of the time he did have.
“We just had a walk-through that started at five,” Nurse said. “We went through the Wizards stuff like we normally would, and then we held him, and Marc (Gasol) and decided we wanted to go through some stuff again.
“We just went through the basics, some sets, and talked a little bit in-between. He’s probably going to get himself ready to go with his normal shooting routine and we’ll let him go from there.”
This is Lin’s eighth team in nine NBA seasons, so this isn’t foreign territory for him, but it is the first time he has switched teams mid-season. Nurse like’s the player he’s getting.
“He’s a good player, so it’s good,” Nurse said. “We want to get good players on the floor.
“I’m excited to see him. I think he’s improved, I think he continues to play like a more experienced player. He’s good with the ball, shooting has improved. I think he’s tougher than he looks maybe.
“He fights, competes, good IQ, all those things. So let’s see what he looks like in a Raptors jersey.”
Lin’s workload probably got even a little heavier with a sore shoulder taking Patrick McCaw out of the lineup and the team loaning out Malcolm Miller to the Raptors 905. It left Nurse with just 10 healthy bodies for the evening.
Lin will then have a full nine days to let the debut sink in before he has to do it again thanks to the NBA all-star break.
The Raptors return to the floor Feb. 22, when they host San Antonio in the DeMar DeRozan return game.
buZZer beaTers
Lin checked in just before the end of the first quarter to a standing ovation from the Scotiabank Arena crowd ... Nurse chose to go with Norm Powell in the starting five, opting to leave OG Anunoby with the second unit, with Kawhi Leonard out with that sore left knee ... As short-handed as the Raptors were, the Wizards had roster issues of their own. Tomas Satoransky, who has replaced the injured John Wall as the team’s starting point guard, was back home where his wife was having the couple’s first child. That left point guard duties to Chasson Randle and Jordan McRae.