Pascal Siakam Goes for 52 as Raptors Snap Losing Streak in Victory Over Knicks
Pascal #Pascal
The Toronto Raptors finally snapped their six-game skid as Pascal Siakam had a career night with 52 points against the New York Knicks
It’s over.
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The Toronto Raptors finally did it. After six straight losses, Pascal Siakam had seen enough. When 38 points weren’t enough for a win on Monday night against the Philadelphia 76ers, he took his game up another level. On the NBA’s biggest stage, Siakam broke through, becoming only the fifth player in Raptors history to reach the half-century mark with a 52-point performance as Toronto finally snapped its losing with a 113-106 victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.
It was Siakam and his sidekick Fred VanVleet who carried Toronto home. For the final eight minutes, the two 28-year-olds traded buckets as the Raptors went blow for blow with the Knicks. When New York tied it late, a pair of free throws from Siakam followed by a beautiful find of VanVleet above the break put the Knicks away, snapping their league-leading eight-game winning streak coming into Wednesday night.
The 50th point for Siakam came courtesy of an And-1 transition layup that he converted in the final seconds before VanVleet ran over with the game ball and a hug for his teammate.
Every time Toronto needed buckets Wednesday night, Siakam was there. He took over in the second quarter, leading a hodgepodge lineup of mid-level rotation players on a 15-5 run that stuck the Raptors to an early double-digit lead over New York. No matter what the Knicks did, they couldn’t solve Siakam’s step-back jumper as he scored 10 straight buckets for Toronto before finding Malachi Flynn in transition for a wide-open three-pointer before New York was forced to call a timeout.
The problem the Raptors have had lately is watching those leads disappear. Four straight misses to start the second half, five straight buckets by New York, and that double-digit lead was gone. Toronto’s defense just vanished, unable to defend the point of attack and surrendering three kick-out three-pointers in the first three minutes of the third as the Knicks recaptured the lead.
That was until Siakam did it again. This time, scoring 17 straight Raptors points to end the third quarter as Toronto traded shots with New York. When he subbed out to start the fourth, the Raptors somehow held their own. The defense clamped down in zone, outscoring New York by two in those four and a half pivotal minutes without Siakam.
If it’s All-NBA that Siakam wants this season, he’s shown it lately. He joined VanVleet, Terrence Ross, Vince Carter, and DeMar DeRozan as the only Raptors to top the 50-point mark and became just the 18th player to reach the mark playing against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. His 52 finished just two shy of VanVleet’s franchise record of 54 points set in February 2021 against the Orlando Magic.
VanVleet Passes Calderon on Raptors Scoring List
A stellar feed inside the paint from Scottie Barnes allowed VanVleet to pass Jose Calderon (5,235) for ninth on Toronto’s all-time scoring list. The 28-year-old has had a disappointing season, but he finally helped play hero against New York. After missing a trio of crucial three-pointers on Monday and two critical buckets late on Wednesday, he didn’t blink when Siakam found him late in the fourth for three. He followed it up moments later with a pair of free throws to ice the game, finishing the night with 28 points with four three-pointers.
Up Next: Cleveland Cavaliers
The Raptors will wrap up their holiday road trip on Friday night when they head to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers at 7:30 p.m. ET.