Siakam performs a signature performance when Raptors defeat Pistons

Pascal Siakam was the only answer for the Detroit Pistons on Friday as he led Toronto Raptors to a 118-97 victory.

All-Star forward Siakam scored 32 points and had nine assists. He also grabbed five rebounds. Siakam came out balling with 26 points in the first half alone on 10-14 shooting, as it quickly became apparent that the Pistons, who have the worst record in the league in the NBA, couldn’t contain him.

He showed off a lot of moves in the midrange, stepped into three balls, and also did a couple of thunderous dunks during the matchup.

Since the end of the second quarter, when they had first increased their lead by 20 points, the Raptors maintained a dominant lead. They wouldn’t look back, going up by much as 26 in the fourth, as the performance helped them get back in the winning column following a pair of losses.

The win pushes the Raptors’ record to 36-38, which is good enough for the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference. They’re now half a game back of the Atlanta Hawks, as the Raptors try to position themselves for the best play-in seeding possible with only eight games remaining in the 2022-23 campaign.

Thaddeus Young was the only Raptor who got any playing time tonight. Christian Koloko was the only player to post a positive plus/minus differential.

O.G. Anunoby scored 17 points with 7-11 shooting and 3-4 distance. VanVleet scored 18 points, even though he shot only 5-19. This helped the Raptors to get on track.

Chris Boucher was a spark off of the bench for the second consecutive game, scoring 19 points, 13 boards, 2 blocks and a multitude of slams.

Despite the huge lead for the Raptors the Pistons didn’t give up, even with two tough transition plays.

More to follow.