Raptors Siakam reminds us all he’s still a bucket getter

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It was Pascal Siakam’s turn as the Raptors road trip moved on to Dallas.

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Down its biggest interior presence and rim protector in rookie Dereck Lively II, the Mavericks were left a little naked in the paint and the Raptors took full advantage, no one more so than Siakam.

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The king of the spin move was back to his old tricks and aggressive attacks with an already leaky Mavericks defence further weakened by the absence of Lively II who was a late scratch with a non-COVID illness.

Siakam set season highs in both points with 31 and rebounds with 12 to go along with five assists in his finest game of the season in the Raptors’ 127-116 win.

With Siakam holding the hot hand, Scottie Barnes’ offensive exploits took a bit of a hit. Barnes attempted 15 shots and had 14 points, but remained impactful with 14 rebounds and seven assist.

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As was the case in the San Antonio win, O.G. Anunoby was stellar on both ends of the floor with a season-high 26 points all while keeping Luka Doncic from going off.

Doncic, who came into the game averaging 31.6, was good on just 11-of-26 field goal attempts with Anunoby in his face most of the night and settling for 31.

While Siakam and Anunoby led the starting unit, it was Gary Trent Jr. getting his shooting stroke down off the bench for the Raptors.

Trent Jr. had 16 points off the bench, including four of eight makes from behind the arc. Chris Boucher, who did not see the floor Sunday in San Antonio, made the most of his opportunity Wednesday night putting up 10 points in just 15 minutes.

Malachi Flynn, who has been finding his own rhythm of late had probably his best all-around game of the young season. He was into Kyrie Irving all night, picking him up full court while chipping in offensively with eight points.

With the win, the Raptors improved to .500 with a 4-4 record. For the Mavericks it was their first loss at home this season and Toronto’s first win in Dallas in the past five games.

The Raptors will now head to Boston but have another few days before they play again on Saturday at the TD Garden.

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