With some semblance of health, Raptors look ready to build momentum

TORONTO — With a nearly full menu to order from for the first time in nearly a month, Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse decided it was time to sample a little bit of everything when it came to making his lineup choices as his club was getting ready to host the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Options? He had options.

Two hours before the tip, the Raptors announced Pascal Siakam would return to the floor for the first time after missing 10 games with a groin injury. Also available? Scottie Barnes, who had missed two games with a knee strain, and Dalano Banton. who had missed three with an ankle injury. Even Justin Champagnie, who has been out most of the season with a back problem, was available.

Instead of putting together a team with duct tape and scraps of torn-up towels, Nurse could look into the closet and decide what outfit suited the occasion, and what fabric.

Nurse wasted no time in putting things in the blender. Not in the starting lineup Monday were Barnes and Gary Trent Jr., who have started 175 of the 176 regular season games they’ve been healthy for dating back to the start of last season. In their place were Thad Young, who has been brilliant in his five starts while the Raptors have been at their most short-handed, and Juancho Hernangomez, who has shown some flashes of his basketball savvy in the minutes he wasn’t getting before the wave of injury and illnesses hit.

But what mattered most, of course, was the return of Siakam, the all-NBA forward who leads the Raptors in scoring (24.8), rebounding (9.3) and assists (7.7).

Siakam was as expected in his first game back, which is to say, excellent. He managed 18 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in prescribed 30 minutes of action as Toronto pushed the streaking Cavs — winners of five of six coming in — with a 100-88 win.

“It just feels good. I obviously missed it so just excited to be back and playing basketball,” said Siakam. “… Once I get my legs under me I can kind of provide a little bit more. But yeah, just good to be out there.”

If Siakam looking like his old self wasn’t enough, there were good news stories throughout the lineup, not the least of which was Toronto holding Cleveland to 37.8 per cent shooting and 7-of-38 from three for the night. Given the Raptors’ ability to defend shooters has been as much a story of the past month as their scoring woes, absent Siakam and others, it was an encouraging sign as was the Raptors holding the Cavs’ Donovan Mitchell to eight points, or 22 below his season average.

“Defence was really good, really solid. and exactly right there was a lot of execution and a lot of help for each other,” said Nurse. “Great communication out there defensively most of the night.”

The changes Nurse made to the lineup all paid off. Young was strong again starting as an undersized centre chipping in 10 points and grabbing seven rebounds in 26 minutes, while Hernangomez didn’t look out of place with five points and six rebounds in 20 minutes.

The reinforced bench was essential also, with Trent Jr. and Barnes combining for 25 points and 11 rebounds. Toronto shot 44 per cent from the floor and broke out of its three-point shooting slump with a 12-of-28 night. They have been last in the NBA in three-point shooting since Siakam went down, connecting on just 28.2 per cent from deep over their last 10 games.

Toronto won their second straight and improved to 11-9 before heading out to New Orleans and Brooklyn for a pair this week. The third-place Cavaliers fell to 13-8.

Nurse made no commitment about his lineup going forward, explained that his decision to bring Trent Jr. and Barnes off the bench was in part because with Siakam coming back he wanted to make sure the starters didn’t have more players either struggling (Trent Jr. ) or coming off injury (Barnes and Siakam) than not. Keeping Hernangomez and Young with the starters was an effort to maintain some continuity, even if they were only starting in the first place because things had been so upside down.

For their part, both players said they were fine with the changes.

“It was a little different. For sure,” said Barnes. “… I'm used to being out there to start the game. I guess it was a little bit of an adjustment.”

Said Trent Jr.: “I’m coming out here to get wins. I’ll do everything I can to help this team win … regardless of whatever time I’m given.”

Toronto has done well to hold its own in an Eastern Conference that is deeper and tougher because of improvements of teams like Cleveland, which has thrived with the addition of three-time all-star Mitchell in the off-season, and as they get healthy after going 5-5 without their star and with a number of other absences, the Raptors like where they are at.

“We've got a lot of stuff. We've got a little bit of everything, which is good,” said Fred VanVleet. “… I like our team. I like where we're at. I like where we're headed. It's probably time to start putting together some nice stretches of basketball here going forward.”

But it’s nice to have horses. Any possibility the Raptors have of exceeding their finish from a season ago — 48 wins, a No. 5 seed and first-round playoff exit — relies on Siakam having a full season of brilliance, able supported by a deep, healthy and versatile lineup.

Siakam did his part from the jump, almost literally. He scored on a twisting floater on his first touch and drove the lane and pivoted into a jump hook a moment later. A few possessions after that, Siakam took the ball the length of the floor and got fouled taking it to the rim. There was another drive and dump-off to Christian Koloko that earned the rookie a pair of free throws.

OG Anunoby has been largely brilliant as the Raptors' primary option on offence with Siakam out, but his three-point shooting (33 per cent) has suffered compared to his career average. Coincidence or not, the defensive stopper looked pretty comfortable stepping into a spot-up three in the first quarter.

Could having a little less responsibility with Siakam back help Anunoby’s efficiency going forward? It’s interesting to think about. He finished with 20 points on 13 shots.

And let’s not forget Trent Jr., who came off the bench and knocked down the first three he looked on his way to putting up six points in his 4:31 of first-quarter work as the Raptors led 26-24.

“I think we’re all aware that [Siakam] was creating a lot of faced-up, catch-and-shoot threes for guys,” said Nurse, whose team was ranked ninth in three-point shooting before Siakam was hurt and dead last since. "That’s kinda the best three to get and maybe we weren’t getting as many good looks or as rhythmic of looks, whatever.”

Siakam also has the ability to create for himself and it was on full display in the second quarter as he dropped a three from the corner and three straight pull-up jumpers to help the Raptors keep the Cavs at bay as Toronto led 52-43 at the half.

Encouragingly, there didn’t seem to be any trouble having everyone find their place at the table. Anunoby — who was again the centre piece in a defensive game plan that help an opposing star well below their season averages — found his offence. In the third quarter, first Barnes and then Siakam found him trailing in transition for easy, spot-up threes that he drained. The play of the night was Siakam catching a lookahead pass from VanVleet and as the Cavs rushed two defenders to him, whirling and finding Anunoby for a dunk. Toronto led 80-67 after three quarters and never looked back.

“Things like that just happen,” Siakam said of his touch pass to Anunoby. “I could sit there and say, ‘Oh, I saw it from a mile away, I had this thing planned.’ It is what it is, a basketball play.

“[But] I love setting up my teammates and getting them going. For me, that’s just understanding the game a bit more and wanting to be that person who elevates the game for us.”

Trent Jr. looked like he had a little more edge to his game, such as when he picked the Cavs’ Cedi Osman’s pocket at halfcourt and hit a streaking Barnes for a lay-up. It was one of several hustle plays Trent Jr. made, and he moved the ball willingly too. Combine those qualities with the return of his jumper — he hit two triples in five attempts — and he’ll be a perfect focal point for an amped-up Raptors bench unit or be back starting soon enough.

It's one game and anything can happen — the Raptors' first quarter of the season has shown that pretty convincingly — but with some semblance of health Toronto looks like a team ready to build some momentum in a season that has been missing just that.