Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Raptors Unfazed by Scotiabank Arena Fire & Sudden Suspension in Blowout of Pacers
The Toronto Raptors have now seen everything.
If a season in Tampa, COVID-19 capacity restrictions, and a handful of postponed games weren't enough for the organization to deal with these past two seasons, Saturday night's game against the Indiana Pacers dealt the Raptors a new surprise. How about a sudden electrical fire to an arena speaker that forced the evacuation of Scotiabank Arena midway through the second quarter of a 131-91 blowout of the Pacers?
"Just add it to the list," Raptors coach Nick Nurse joked.
An overhead speaker in section 103 broke out with a small fire in the second quarter, quickly prompting the evactation of sections 103 and 104 as firefighters began tending to the matter. Despite the evacuating fans, the game continued uninterrupted until the 4:05 mark of the second quarter when the fire marshal ordered the evacuation of the entire arena.
"I looked up and that whole section was cleared out and I was like trying to figure out why or what happened," Nurse said. "I was like geez, wonder why they didn't sell those seats. That was my first thing. I was like, wait a minute. Then I was like, wait, there's got to be a big group coming later, right? I didn't know."
The two teams came together during a Pacers timeout and after a brief discussion, began exiting the court for their respective locker rooms.
Firefighters and arena personel attended to the speaker, repelling from the arena ceiling to put out the fire. In the locker room, Raptors players tuned in to the Miami Heat game, reviewed tape, and prepared for a strange four-minute stint before halftime.
"It was funny because in the middle of the game I turned around and a whole section was cleared out," said Precious Achiuwa. "I saw the fire guys, and I thought something crazy — well, it actually was something crazy."
Eventually the teams returned to the court after a one hour break and quickly warmed up before resuming the game. Fred VanVleet did not return for precautionary reasons as he continues to deal with an ailing right knee.
"Let's not come up with any more ways to clear the building," Nurse joked as he tapped the table for good luck. "It's never a good thing, it's never positive news when they clear the building."
All fans in attendance will have 30 days to receive a refund of their ticket.
1. Achiuwa Lights it Up From Deep
Oh, there was also a basketball game that was played.
Achiuwa nailed a career-high four three-pointers, all of which came before the first-half fire. Instead of his usual corner threes, the 6-foot-9 forward stepped out to the perimeter and nailed above-the-break threes, the kind Toronto is going to want from the 22-year-old when he's trailing in transition.
"I’m in a situation where I put a lot of work in on all parts of my game. My teammates and coaching staff have told me whenever I’m free, I’ve got to shoot the ball," Achiuwa said. "Actually the first shot, I turned down one of them. ... We had a timeout and literally three guys on the bench are like you’ve got to shoot that, you have to. This was before I made any of my 3s."
Looking back, it's crazy that he was 0-for-1 from three-point range last season with the Miami Heat. With just one offseason in Toronto's developmental program, he's suddenly become a reliable three-point threat, shooting 36% from behind the arc in his first year with the Raptors.
2. Siakam's All-NBA Candidacy Takes a Hit
Pascal Siakam continues to play at an All-NBA level. He dominated the Pacers early, getting to the bucket with ease as he racked up 14 of his team high 23 points on 8-for-9 shooting before the brief halftime break. Considering the blowout score, the Raptors took it easy on the 27-year-old resting him for the entire fourth quarter.
The problem with his All-NBA candidacy is going to be Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid who are somehow eligible to make the team as forwards or centers this season. Without the two centers, Siakam has a strong case to be the league's sixth-best center this year behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, and DeMar DeRozan. When you add Jokic or Embiid to the forward picture as first-teamers, Siakam's chances of earning his second All-NBA honors get pretty slim.
Trent Nearing a Return
It sounds like Gary Trent Jr. will be back at some point in the next couple of days. The team had hoped he'd be ready for Saturday, but his hyperextended big left toe is still bothering him, Raptors coach Nick Nurse said pre-game. He should be back on Monday or when the Raptors hit the road on Wednesday.
Playoff Picture
The Raptors got some help from the Chicago Bulls who knocked off the Cleveland Cavaliers to move Toronto into sole possession of the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Up Next: Boston Celtics
Things are about to get a whole lot tougher for the Raptors who will host the red-hot Boston Celtics on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. ET.
