Pascal Siakam fuels suddenly hot Raptors to season-high third win in a row

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For the first time during this trying season, the Raptors have reeled off three wins in succession.

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For the seventh time this season, Pascal Siakam reached the 30-point plateau.

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While Siakam has clearly rebounded from his early season groin setback suffered in Dallas, the Raptors are showing some signs of turning it around themselves.

Granted, back-to-back wins over Charlotte, including Thursday’s 124-114 victory, and Portland as part of a season-high six-game homestand can’t be overvalued.

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At the same time, three wins in a row can’t be dismissed, either.

The quality of Toronto’s opposition hasn’t been high, but the Raptors can now salvage their homestand with a win Saturday when Atlanta, another beatable team, comes to town before Toronto heads out for a three-game trip.

With the Feb. 9 NBA trade deadline looming, some potentially tough decisions might have to be made.

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One shouldn’t involve Siakam unless it’s a package Toronto’s upper brass simply can’t refuse.

Siakam embodied the epitome of efficiency Thursday, requiring 11 shots from the field to reach 28 points.

He reached the 30-point milestone with 4:53 left in fourth quarter on a sweep jumper, his 10th basket on 12 attempts.

It marked Siakam’s 50th-career 30-point game, which places him fourth in franchise history.

Siakam finished the evening by pouring in a game-high 34 points.

Siakam and Charlotte’s dynamic point guard in LaMelo Ball were the game’s premier players.

The difference between the two involved Siakam’s teammates and how each complemented the star’s performance.

Ball’s 32 points led Charlotte before fouling out with seven seconds left.

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Charlotte never led, but it did provide some opposition and moments when the Raptors were forced to dig deep to ward off the Bugs, including the game’s final minute.

SMART START

The Raptors trotted out the same starting unit that helped set the pace Tuesday night when Toronto’s mini two-game set against the Bugs tipped off.

After all, there was no reason to shake things up when things were going well.

In short, the Raptors picked up where they left off from a win in which the home side made a season-high 20 three-pointers.

On the team’s first look from distance Thursday night, Gary Trent Jr. drilled his shot.

Actually, the Raptors were drilling many shots to the point where Charlotte head coach Steve Clifford was forced to call a timeout with 7:51 remaining in the game’s opening 12 minutes.

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It was ugly as the Hornets trailed 13-4, allowing the Raptors to make six of their first nine shots.

Charlotte had as many turnovers (two) as baskets in the early minutes.

To their credit, the Hornets did a score a basket following their timeout by getting the ball into the hands of Ball, by far the team’s best players.

The Hornets were much more engaged, especially on the defensive end, when play resumed.

They cut it to a two-possession game, but then came a dip in play to end the period.

After one quarter, the Raptors shot their way to a 39-28 lead.

The only Toronto starter not to score was Fred VanVleet, who took one shot, but he did record three assists and had zero turnovers.

VanVleet was orchestrating the offence like a true point guard and floor leader.

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Even though he didn’t score a single point, his imprint was all over the first quarter.

As fate would have it, he sealed the deal late in the game by burying a three, VanVleet’s first of the game, to give Toronto an eight-point lead.

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BALL(ER)

Ball is worth the price of admission.

At his best, Ball protects the basketball by making solid decisions.

When his ball handling is loose, Ball is prone to turn it over as evidenced by his three first-half turnovers.

Still, the Raptors were poised to run the Hornets out of Scotiabank Arena on a few occasions, but Ball then decided to take matters into his own hands.

He made his first five shots, including a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range, as Ball became the first Hornets player to reach double digits in scoring.

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His 13 points midway through the second period were three fewer than the combined total of Charlotte’s four other starters.

The first missed shot from Ball came on a tough baseline fadeaway.

He scored his 15th point of the game off penetration.

Charlotte tried to run an extra defender at VanVleet, forcing the ball out of his hands.

When the Raptors swung the ball to an open man, open looks were yielded.

The Hornets, overall, were much more competitive and trailed by single digits with 2:54 left in the first half.

Toronto ended the quarter by going on an 8-3 run to lead 69-55.

On Tuesday, the Raptors poured in 72 first-half points, but they also yielded 66 points to the lowly Bugs.

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At intermission in Thursday’s rematch, Charlotte’s bench had outscored Toronto’s second unit 17-14.

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Early in the third quarter, the Hornets played with an edge and were helped when Toronto began to miss open shots.

When shots were being missed, it allowed Charlotte to get out in transition.

One of the beneficiaries was Terry Rozier, Ball’s backcourt running mate.

When he’s playing in rhythm and under control, Rozier will attack the rim and will just easily pull up from anywhere on the floor to bury his shot.

It was a seven-point game and then came an O.G. Anunoby three as Toronto restored its double-digit advantage.

After three quarters, Toronto led 97-88.

The Ball-Rozier tandem combined to score 43 points and accounted for 10 of Charlotte’s 21 assists.

Toronto’s scoring was much more balanced.

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