After going down 2-0 to the Boston Celtics in their second-round series, the Raptors won Game 3 in miracle fashion, then held off the Celtics to take Game 4, 100-93. After balancing 15.3 points in Games 1-3, Siakam went for 23 points and 11 rebounds on 10 of 23 from the field in Game 4. In Game 3, they found their variety. Not only was it their finest shooting game of the series by far, but they outscored the Celtics by a tremendous 30 points from the 3-point line.
That was because the Celtics had their worst shooting game of the playoffs.
The Toronto Raptors are back. After going down 2-0 to the Boston Celtics in their second-round series, the Raptors won Game 3 in wonder fashion, then held off the Celtics to take Game 4, 100-93. Suddenly the series is all connected up at 2-2, and Toronto has all the momentum.
Pascal Siakam lastly stepped up for the Raptors, going for 23 points and 11 rebounds in his best video game of the series, while Kyle Lowry was strong also, ending up with 22 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. The Raptors controlled the 3-point fight in this one, knocking down 17 of their 44 attempts..
Jayson Tatum blazed a trail for Boston, putting up 24 points and 10 rebounds, however they truly had a hard time on the offending end as a team. In particular, they were a catastrophe from the 3-point line, shooting 7-for-35, which was their worst outside shooting efficiency in the playoffs..
Here are some crucial takeaways from the video game:.
Siakam steps up.
Pascal Siakam handled a much bigger role this season with Kawhi Leonard gone to the Clippers, and he handled it well in the regular season. The playoffs, however, have actually been a different story. He was fine, though not very impressive against the Nets in the preliminary, and actually had a hard time in the very first three video games of this series..
On Saturday night, nevertheless, he lastly delivered. After balancing 15.3 points in Games 1-3, Siakam chose 23 points and 11 rebounds on 10 of 23 from the field in Game 4. It wasnt an awfully efficient performance, but merely getting that type of production from him mattered more than his shooting portion..
It will be interesting to see if this breakout video game offers Siakam some confidence progressing. , if hes broken out of this downturn thats a big increase for the Raptors.
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Raptors dominate the 3-point battle.
The Raptors were fifth in the league in 3-point percentage in the routine season, striking 37.4 percent of their attempts. Over the first three games, they could not buy a shot from downtown, shooting 34 of 120, or 28.3 percent– almost 10 percentage points lower than their regular season average..
In Game 3, they found their variety. Led by Serge Ibaka (4 of 4), Fred VanVleet (5 of 11) and Kyle Lowry (4 of 10), the Raptors hit 17 of their 44 triples. Not only was it their best shooting video game of the series without a doubt, however they outscored the Celtics by a whopping 30 points from the 3-point line.
That was due to the fact that the Celtics had their worst shooting video game of the playoffs. They went 7 of 35, with Jaylen Brown being the only member of the team to hit multiple 3s. In fact, he went 2 of 11 from deep and somehow still completed with the very best 3-point percentage (18.2) amongst starters– Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum all shot 1 of 6 (16.7 percent).
Second opportunity points a key aspect.
Neither team was especially prolific on the offending glass in this game, with the Raptors getting 8 offensive rebounds, and the Celtics pulling down six. And for the playoffs, the Houston Rockets are the only group still alive that does less damage in this department..
Thinking about those numbers, you wouldnt expect second-chance points to be much of a big deal. But the Raptors were medical in making the most of their extra chances, turning those 8 offending rebounds into 24 second-chance points. Thats right, they balanced 3 points per offending rebound..
To put it simply, they got every single possible second-chance point. And not only was it their finest performance in that category in the playoffs, however it was their second-best all season long. Together with their 30-point benefit at the 3-point line, the Raptors had a 12-point edge in 2nd opportunity points.
Thats how you win a playoff video game when you shoot 39 percent from the field in general..
