Pascal Siakam Refused to Back Down From PJ Tucker

The Toronto Raptors have proven themselves to be a physical team, especially when they go against the Philadelphia 76ers. Toronto’s physicality has deflated the Sixers at times in past seasons, but Philadelphia overcame it all in the playoffs last year.

While they managed to get by the Raptors in the first round of the postseason, the Sixers came up short of another physically tough team in the Miami Heat during the second round. After the Sixers’ Game 6 loss against the Heat, which ended their season, Joel Embiid urged the Philly front office to snag a player like PJ Tucker in free agency or through the trade market.

Fortunately for the Sixers, Tucker opted out of his contract with the Heat and hit the open market. The Sixers scooped him up with a three-year deal, adding toughness to their roster. When the Sixers paid a visit to the Raptors on Wednesday night for the first time since last year’s playoff run, Tucker played with his usual physicality. Raptors forward Pascal Siakam clearly wanted to match it.

From the start of the matchup, things were getting chippy between Tucker and Siakam, as the two were spotted jawing at each other as early as the first quarter. When asked about his back-and-forth with Tucker after Wednesday’s game, Siakam downplayed the battle as nothing more than two competitors getting at it.

“It was just friendly competition,” Siakam said with a smile. “That’s all. There’s nothing there.”

Tucker’s physicality on Siakam didn’t cause the Raptors standout to flinch. In fact, he rose to the occasion and made the Sixers pay early on in the game as Siakam drained all but one of his six shots from the field and went 4-4 from deep to register 15 of Toronto’s 35 first-quarter points.

While Siakam’s game cooled down for the rest of the matchup, he ultimately felt satisfied with the way he played and responded to the physical toughness Tucker brought to him on Wednesday.

“Whenever there is a bet, I’m gonna take myself and bet on myself,” Siakam continued. “I’m just gonna say this: It is what it is. I’m gonna go out there and compete to the highest level. No matter what, I’m always gonna go out for my respect. I put the work in, and I’m never gonna back down from anybody.”

Siakam finished Wednesday night’s matchup against the Sixers with 20 points in 38 minutes. He drained 50 percent of his threes and went 7-16 from the field. In addition, Siakam secured the double-double by producing 13 assists.

With Siakam’s production, he helped the Raptors get revenge on the Sixers by winning 119-109. Now, both teams will focus their attention on Friday’s game, which will be a rematch at Scotiabank Arena.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.