Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Undermanned Raptors Dealt Heartbreaking Loss by 76ers
Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse didn't mince his words Tuesday night. COVID-19 hasn't caused any serious issues for any Raptors players so far, but conditioning, that's another story.
"I'm super concerned," said Nurse whose team has had 11 players enter COVID protocols this month.
By now, the Raptors are all too familiar with how quickly this virus can derail a season. They were 17-17 last year, sitting fourth in the Eastern Conference when Pascal Siakam tested positive in late February. A month later and after nearly a half dozen positive tests, Toronto found itself 18-30 en route to the seventh-worst record in the NBA and a lottery pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
This time around, the Raptors can't let that happen again.
And that's what made Tuesday's game so heartbreaking. The Raptors were right there. After getting dismantled by the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night in a game that never should have been played, the Raptors responded with every bit of toughness you could possibly ask for against a mostly-healthy Philadelphia 76ers team.
It just barely wasn't enough as Toronto fell 114-109.
The Raptors showed the kind of fight that's been far too uncommon this season. Chris Boucher repeatedly stepped up in the fourth quarter as the Raptors climbed out of a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit to pull ahead with a minute to go.
"Biggest thing was he was ready to take the challenge," Nurse said of Boucher who scored 12 of his team-high 28 points in the fourth quarter and grabbed 19 rebounds. "Kinda had a little meeting with him before the game about giving away a couple of pounds [to Joel Embiid] tonight so just do your best. He was ready to fight ‘em and I thought he hurt ‘em."
It was a totally different Boucher from the one Toronto saw on Sunday night when he looked flustered as the Raptors' top option against Cleveland.
"The other game I think kind of gave me a perspective of like do I really need to be a number 1 option? AA lot of stuff that you see guys do everyday, Fred, Pascal, Gary, they come in and it's a little harder than you expect," said Boucher who shot 10-for-14 with five made three-pointers. "So it was a good experience for me and just made me realize what I really could do."
The problem for Toronto was Embiid hurt 'em too. He bullied Boucher inside early, clinched the game-winning put-back dunk, and snuffed out Gary Trent Jr's. near game-winning layup with 20 seconds to go.
"Aww man, that's a big guy," Boucher said of Embiid who had a game-high 36 points on 11-for-16 shooting. "But like I said, I think he made me a lot better today. I think I've learned a lot of stuff playing against him."
All things considered, the Raptors are pretty fortunate to be 0-2 over this stretch with all the COVID-19 problems they've had lately. They had two games postponed and took on an undermanned Golden State team just before the outbreak that allowed them to bank a curcial win before everything went sideways.
"I'm hoping that we do get back and ready to go," Nurse said. "It seems to me that everybody's reacting pretty well."
The team is expecting to have Fred VanVleet and possibly a few more players back for Friday's game.
Siakam Bounces Back From COVID
The good news for Toronto was Pascal Siakam showed no signs of rust in his first game back from protocols. With Fred VanVleet, Scottie Barnes, and OG Anunoby among the group still sidelined, Siakam put the team on his shoulders early scoring or assisting on 19 of Toronto's 24 first-quarter points. Despite all the attention the 76ers were paying him, he got to his mid-range spots and nailed shots one after another. When they did double, he moved the ball around to the tune of eight assists to go with his 28 points.
"It’s been tough, but I think this time around it was a little lighter, I would say," Siakam said of his second bout with COVID-19. "I remember that first time it was just a lot and just feeling really sick and my body losing a lot of weight, and just uncomfortable. This time around it felt like a cold, to be honest."
Siakam played a game-high 41:50 and seemed realtively spry after the game.
"I know I was going to play a lot, so I was expecting it. And then it was just like whenever you’re tired get out, kind of thing, but I feel like I was tired the whole time," he said.
Wilson Protocols Quandary
D.J. Wilson was not cleared to play in the first half due to NBA Health & Safety protocols. It's unclear why that was, but Wilson somehow cleared protocols at halftime and returned to the court to prove pivitol for Toronto in the second half, helping to solidify the defense and recording a team-high +12.
"That’s two good games for him, he’s shown some rebound, he’s shown some bounce, some IQ, right place, right time type of guy," Nurse said.
Up Next: Los Angeles Clippers
The Raptors will spend their New Year's Eve with Serge Ibaka and the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. ET.
