Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Magic Find No Answers for O.G. Anunoby as Raptors Break Out of Funk With Blowout Victory
It wasn't a player's only meeting, per se, but the Toronto Raptors knew they had to be better.
A pair of blowout losses to New Orleans and Brooklyn earlier in the week had mired the first quarter of the season for Toronto. There weren't alarm bells ringing, but the status quo wasn't enough and something had to change.
"Some guys are gathering some guys together and talking about getting off to a better start," Raptor coach Nick Nurse said pre-game Saturday. "They understand that’s not what is acceptable around here. They’re trying to work and get through it.”
On Saturday it worked. Well, at least against the Orlando Magic, one of the league's ideal matchups to get right against as Toronto cruised to a 121-108 victory at Scotiabank Arena.
So how exactly do you break out of these first-quarter woes?
Hand the ball to O.G. Anunoby and let him do what he does best. It was a clinic from the 25-year-old who was borderline unstoppable in the paint, racking up 13 points in the first quarter alone en route to a career-high 23 points before halftime.
The past four games have been nothing shy of remarkable from Anunoby who hasn't missed a beat despite the return of Pascal Siakam to the lineup. The expectation had been he'd take a step back playing alongside Siakam as he reverted back into a secondary option for the team. While part of that equation has certainly been true, Anunoby's efficiency has been off the charts.
"I think that that really is the game," Nurse said of Toronto's offensive versatility. "It changes with every opponent, it changes with just in the way guys are feeling, how the ball is finding them, how teams are playing them, etc."
Anunoby has continued getting into the paint with the same ferocity that he had as Toronto's primary offensive creator and using his defensive intensity to create easy opportunities for himself and others at the other end. His three steals Saturday led directly to six Raptors points as he wrapped up the night with 32 points, four shy of his career high, on 12-for-17 shooting.
"He's making better reads, being able to get downhill better, he's doing a lot of big things for us at both ends of the floor," said Scottie Barnes. "I feel like it translated to his game, him taking that big step, offensively and defensively."
Siakam, meanwhile, kept the Magic out of sync with his dynamic playmaking, hooking up with Anunoby for three of his team-high 10 assists. Those passing skills created all kinds of problems for Orlando who was stuck trying to decide between doubling Siakam or playing him straight up. When they did leave him in one-on-one coverage or were too late to rotate, he took it up with ease, tallying 26 points on 9-for-15 shooting.
Milestone Night for Siakam
Siakam got fouled driving to the rim in the first quarter by Paulo Banchero, sending him to the line where he connected on a pair of free throws to pass Andrea Bargnani and clinch the fifth most points scored in Raptors franchise history. He now sits at 6,604 points as a Raptor, 2,816 shy of Vince Carter for fourth all-time.
"When we first got him, we were excited about his energy, his athleticism, and things like that. And his hunger to play. And I think that translated pretty quickly to hunger to get a lot better," Nurse said. "He's obviously had some ups and downs, like most guys do in their careers, and come out of it here on the other side.
"He's done a lot of work to work on his shooting, work on his skills, adjust to some vision and passing and all that kind of stuff, and I think there's still a level he's trying to climb up to here, and I think he can get back - I mean, he was playing probably his best level earlier this season, and he can get back to it here when he gets a little more legs underneath him."
Barnes Bounces Back
The up-and-down sophomore season continued for Barnes on Saturday with one of his better showings of the season. He was aggressive in the good way against the Magic, getting into the paint and using his close-range floater rather than settling for long mid-range jumpers.
"It was one of those days where I was just getting that the rim, finding those good looks, being able to insert myself at the paint, have that dominance down there tonight," Barnes said.
His defense was much improved too. He blocked Caleb Houstan in the fourth quarter and collected a team-high 14 rebounds to go with 17 points in 33 minutes.
Highlight(s) of the Night
Bol Bol would make such a fun Raptors player. He's long and sinewy with a wingspan that seems to go on forever and seemingly embodies all the characteristics the Raptors look for these days, save for his almost too tall 7-foot-2 frame.
At one point in the first half he blocked Fred VanVleet's three-pointer and then ran into the stands trying to recover the ball. Later he threw down a massive one-handed slam as Chrisitan Koloko tried — and failed — to chase him down from behind.
He then erased a would-be Anunoby highlight in the second half, chasing down Anunoby from behind blocking a near-360 slam dunk from the Raptors forward.
Up Next: Boston Celtics
The Raptors will continue their homestand on Monday night when the Boston Celtics come to town for a 7:30 p.m. ET tipoff at Scotiabank Arena.
