Poeltl comes up big offensively as well this time in Raptors win over Orlando

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Jakob Poeltl was brought back to Toronto primarily to help address the team’s defensive issues.

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On Tuesday night, though, he dipped into that other offensive part of his game and combined with Fred VanVleet to provide a lethal combination.

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Poeltl had a personal Raptors-high 22 points (in his second stint with the club) through three quarters on his way to a team-best 30 in the 123-113 win over the visiting Orlando Magic.

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It was a little payback for the Raptors, whose struggles this season seemed to sort of start in a two-game weekend series in Orlando in December in which they were swept.

VanVleet played a pretty big role in this one as well, with a season-high 15 assists in the game to go along with 10 points.

Poeltl started for the second time in the three games since the trade deadline and once again took another step forward in finding his comfort level within the team, particularly on the offensive end.

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At practice on Monday, Poeltl sounded quite happy with his defensive progress in picking up a tougher defensive scheme than he had been playing the past four and a half years in San Antonio, but lamented his lack of offensive role here, something he had developed nicely in San Antonio.

Safe to say Poeltl and VanVleet found something that was effective for all concerned.

The 30 points were only one shy of his career-high 31, set earlier this season in a San Antonio win over Portland.

Not to be outdone, Pascal Siakam — who got off to a bit of a slow start while Poeltl was carrying the offensive load, came alive in the third quarter and wound up with 24 making 10 of his 14 field goal attempts.

Between them, Yak and Skills — as they were once known in these parts — were a combined 22-for-28 on the night with 56 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, four blocks (all Poeltl’s) and three steals.

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Precious Achiuwa got another start with O.G. Anunoby still nursing that sprained wrist. Achiuwa was very hard on himself after the loss to Utah, but Tuesday night took on the Magic’s toughest matchup in rookie Paolo Banchero and helped limit him to just 13 points.

Achiuwa was a force on the boards as well, where he had a game-high 13 rebounds as the Raptors won that battle handily.

From an offensive standpoint, the first half wasn’t just good for the Raptors, it was next-level great.

As a team they shot 70.7% from the floor, led by 14 points from Poeltl on a perfect 7-for-7 half.

On any other night that would have almost definitely had them a lead by at the half, but the Raptors somehow trailed 70-65. The Magic shot 60.5% for the half in a real free-for-all.

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Things did come back to close to normal levels by game’s end but the Raptors were still around the 60% mark with their field goal percentage.

GOOD TIMING

There have been times over the past few years where the all-star break arrived at a bad time for the Raptors. Things were rolling and the last thing you want to do when things are going good is change anything.

Things are probably a little better right now than they were earlier this season, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a good time in these circumstances.

“It’s a good time for us,” head coach Nick Nurse confirmed. “You guys have been here every day and stuff and we have had a pretty work intensive last six weeks and I think guys need a breather.

“We’ve just been trying to polish and fix and rebuild and build a foundation and all those things and that takes work, that takes practice time, that takes a lot of things,” Nurse added. “Yeah, I think it’s probably a decent time for us to have a little breath or two of fresh air and come back and take a run at these last 20-plus games.”

HURTS INCREASING

The Raptors began the game down two bodies in Anunoby, who missed his ninth game with that left wrist sprain, and Gary Trent Jr. missing his second with a left calf strain.

Thad Young joined the wounded midway through the second quarter when he got caught up in some bodies and went down. He was immediately reaching for his knee. He left the game at the next stoppage and did not return.