With Auston Matthews scoring his 55th and 56th goal of the season, the Toronto Raptors clinching a playoff spot a couple of nights ago, Pascal Siakam’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night has kind of been overshadowed, I think it was kind of important for me to write about this because well, he was fucking phenomenal.
Siakam tied Fred VanVleet for the most points scored in a triple-double in Toronto Raptors history.
Siakam ties Fred VanVleet for most points scored in a triple-double in Raptors history 😤 pic.twitter.com/4mxAdlsOBb
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 8, 2022
Siakam finished his night with 37 Points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists, and two steals. Considering that the Raptors, who are currently in 5th place are getting set to possibly take on Philadelphia in the playoffs, this is exactly the performance you were hoping for out of Siakam. Yes, you wanted the Raptors to play well, but in these types of games, especially ones that maybe don’t mean that much to the standings, you want to see your best players, your star players, your leaders, have the best game. Siakam fucking rocked.
Pascal Siakam Tonight 🌶
🔥 37 PTS
🔥 11 REB
🔥 12 AST
🔥 2 STL
🔥 #WeTheNorth Comeback Win! pic.twitter.com/0hHe013dH7— NBA (@NBA) April 8, 2022
Things are really starting to come together for the Raptors as we get closer to the playoffs. OG Anunoby is on schedule to return to the court on Sunday when the Raptors take on the New York Knicks. It’s already been announced that Fred VanVleet will be out for that game, which is not surprising because Nick Nurse already said that he would use this luxury of already being qualified for the playoffs as a chance to give VanVleet some rest.
I wrote about this the other day when the Raptors clinched the playoff spot, I made mention how the American pundits didn’t really give the Raptors a chance to be in the playoffs, possibly a chance to get into the play in tournament, but nobody believed that the Raptors we’re going to flat out qualify for the postseason in one of the top six positions.
COOKING THAT CAMEROONIAN DISH pic.twitter.com/1hDFrSoVQT
— Raptors Republic 🇺🇦 (@raptorsrepublic) April 8, 2022
I’m also not saying that the Raptors should be looked at as favourites to win the championship, that would be fucking crazy. But, when you look at the lineup of Siakam, Scottie Barnes, Van Vleet, and Anunoby are no pushovers. Let’s also not forget that Nick Nurse is one of the best coaches in the NBA, and when you add that quality and coaching together, you got a chance.
I probably said this a million times in my life, but if you make the playoffs you always have an opportunity. Good on the Raptors for earning this opportunity. Good on the Raptors for proving so many people wrong. We all know that the Raptor fan base is one of the best, if not the best fan bases in the NBA, and Toronto should be fucking rocking as we prepare to head into the NBA playoffs.
The Raptors trailed by as many as 15 tonight before coming back to beat the 76ers, 119-114, behind Pascal Siakam's 37-point triple-double.
For Philadelphia, it's their 7th loss this season after leading by 15+ points, 2nd only to the Knicks (8) for most in the NBA. pic.twitter.com/2j5iXPtH8g
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 8, 2022
