#pascal-siakam

#pascal-siakam

It took over three months and five previous failed tries but the Raptors are back at .500.Miami was missing Jimmy Butler in this game, after being ruled out with a neck injury.The Heat were already a small team and losing one of their big wings didn't help.Toronto crushed Miami with a 62-36 points in the paint advantage.

The hardest and final task of the four-game homestand is coming up tonight as the Raptors will take on the Miami Heat.Toronto leads the season series two to one and will look to make it three one after tonight.It's a huge game that the Raptors must win if they plan on catching the Heat, who are only three games ahead.

There's a scene in the 1997 movie Armageddon - one of the worst movies ever made, but maybe also the single best bad movie ever made? - where, as our heroes prepare to launch into space so they can go drill a hole in an asteroid, the NASA flight director says to all those assembled, "All right ladies and gentlemen, it's pucker time."

Despite the divide (or chasm) that has developed between fans opinions on Fred VanVleet, there's no denying that his past couple months of play have been significantly better than his first couple.Coinciding with VanVleet's resurgence, was a dip from Pascal Siakam.The Raptors offense hasn't hit a peak this season.

Last night's game was never in question for Toronto, from the opening tip you could just tell that it was going to be an easy night for the Raptors.Specifically, Pascal Siakam was playing like a man possessed in his efforts to ensure Toronto would be sending Detroit home with a loss.Pascal Siakam is a wonderfully talented scorer and that was truly on display last night.

The Warriors have been begging for anyone to step up for these the last few weeks of the season.The Dubs' big three Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green needed reinforcement.The team, as a whole, needed a push.And just in time, someone has come through.Jonathan Kuminga has flashed his prodigious talent before this past week it's impossible to hide that athleticism.

It's really difficult to create layups and dunks in the halfcourt.There's a reason the most desirable players in the sport are those who can create looks at the rim, either to score or force the haphazard collapse from the defense to create opportunities elsewhere.The Raptors are still a bottom-five offense in the halfcourt, so they need to create easy looks as often as possible.

The Raptors have a huge game coming up tonight as they can further separate themselves from the Washington Wizards who are also eyeing a Play-In spot.It's the tie-breaking game for the series this season as they previously traded wins three weeks ago.Wizards scope (33-41, 11th in East | Offensive rating: 16th | Defensive rating: 21st) Last five games: vs Spurs 136-124 W, vs Nuggets 104-118 L, @ Magic 112-122 L, vs Kings 118-132 L, @ Cavaliers 94- 117 L.
Just a few weeks ago the Wizards and Raptors were fighting each other for a Play-In spot and now Washington has fallen off quite hard.

The Milwaukee Bucks are the top team in the eastern conference and to some, the top team in the NBA, and if there was ever a litmus test that Toronto wanted to use in order to measure exactly how they fare in the NBA, this was it.The night ended in defeat but this should be classified as a good loss rather than one that keeps everyone's heads down.