Pascal Siakam went full hero mode to bust the Raptors out of a six-game skid, dropping a career-high 52 points in Toronto’s 113-106 win over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.
Siakam, who posted 38 points, 15 rebounds, and six assists in a loss to the Sixers on Monday, put Toronto on his back in ways the franchise has rarely seen before, adding nine rebounds seven assists and a steal. The 28-year-old has scored a combined 90 points in his last two contests.
Fred VanVleet also came up big for Toronto, posting 28 points, four assists, three steals and a block while nailing a couple clutch shots late to close out the win.
The New York Knicks have a formidable defence, but regardless of who they threw at Siakam, he continued to get his spots on the court. At one point, the All-Star scored 17 straight points for Toronto.
Siakam was especially effective in transition, leveraging his long strides and continually keeping the defence on their heels. It only made sense that his game-sealing bucket came during a fastbreak, too.
To put Siakam’s scintillating performance into context, he is now only the fourth active visiting player to score 50-plus points at Madison Square Garden, and only the 10th player to do so in league history. He is also only the 16th player ever to post 52-plus points, 9-plus rebounds and 7-plus assists in a single game.
Finally, he’s just the fifth player in Raptors history to notch a 50-point game.
Despite the Raptors having one of the worst half-court offences in the NBA, Siakam has still managed to put in all-world numbers. Over his last three games, the Cameroon native is averaging 39 points, 9.7 rebounds, and six assists,
The Raptors will look to seize this momentum as they travel to Cleveland next.
