Red-hot Raptors keep rolling with decisive win over Thunder

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The Raptors find themselves in seventh heaven.

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For the first time this season, the team has strung together seven wins in a row.

With each win posted, the team’s starters have taken turns stepping up with Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet leading the charge.

Toronto’s latest win was a routine 117-98 victory of the host OKC Thunder on Wednesday night.

The Raptors are in Houston Thursday night.

In the hours leading up to that tip-off, the NBA’s trade deadline will expire.

The need for a bench presence is obvious, but it’s been apparent for quite some time.

As long as Siakam, VanVleet, Scottie Barnes, OG Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr. are playing as well as they are, the Raptors will continue to be competitive.

Against an inferior team such as the Thunder, the Raptors can be dominant.

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Back ends of a back-to-back can be daunting, but the Raptors have done well in the second game of such scenarios and should be able to beat a Rockets team.

Wednesday’s tip wasn’t exactly a physical affair.

In fact, the only times OKC threatened the visitors was when the Thunder created a quicker pace.

OKC has no post game to speak of, a finesse team that is very susceptible on the block.

Midway through the fourth quarter, head coach Nick Nurse had Dalano Banton at the point with VanVleet getting a well-deserved break.

When all-star Freddy re-entered, the Raptors were leading by 17 points.

Siakam handled the ball a lot because no one could match up with him, going 36 minutes before he committed his first turnover.

Decisive, aggressive and assertive, Siakam was once again very good.

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On his errant pass, he tried making a cross-court pass on the run with a defender on his hip.

He made a deft pass in transition to a diving Barnes, who scored off the glass in a classic break.

He then took his man off the dribble with the Thunder in a zone to score on an easy layup.

STARTING TO PAY OFF

Toronto’s starting five of VanVleet, Trent Jr., Barnes, Anunoby and Siakam posted an 11-4 record heading into the Raptors’ tip against the Thunder.

With the NBA’s trade deadline about to expire at 3 p.m. EST Thursday, it would seem foolish and completely shocking if any of Toronto’s Big 5 is peddled in any packages.

The unit lacks size, but it is athletic and versatile.

Barnes, for example, took the opening tip against Derrick Favors Wednesday, a veteran whose best days are behind him.

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Favors is a power forward.

Toronto’s starting unit lacks a traditional big and one can argue it also lacks a traditional power forward.

Siakam has the handle and ability to take defenders off the bounce as a small forward, while Anunoby can use his strength to overpower undersized defenders in the post.

Of Toronto’s 57 first-half points against OKC, 52 came from its starters.

Chris Boucher accounted for all of Toronto’s bench points, underscoring the need to add a player who can score, preferably a swingman.

No Toronto reserve generated a point in the third quarter.

If something does get done before the clock strikes 3 p.m., the incoming player must be able to play on both ends of the floor.

Whether management has the stomach to take on a salary with term is another issue.

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What’s not an issue is the current starting lineup.

Siakam was lethal when allowed to use his dribble and get to the rim.

On one drive, he used the backboard to pass the ball to himself before he scored a basket.

When teams don’t put a body on Siakam in transition, he’s virtually unstoppable.

When teams come with help, his passing is improved as is his decision-making when passing out of double teams.

Teams are best served by crowding Siakam with a long body who can move his feet.

He went scoreless in the third quarter.

GIDDY OVER GIDDEY

Josh Giddey isn’t the biggest guy and nor is he the most athletic, but the kid has a great feel for the game.

OKC drafted the Aussie sixth overall, two slots after Toronto used its pick to select Barnes.

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Giddey had no chance to stop Anunoby on a post-up in a throwback mouse-in-the-house scenario that would see Anunoby score too easily.

Giddey is the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double, having attained the feat at 19 years, 84 days old in only his 31st game.

OKC is not a good team, a young team with plenty of draft picks.

Giddey is a keeper.

Once he fills out, he won’t be as vulnerable against bigger bodies.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is sidelined with an ankle sprain, an injury that has forced OKC to use Giddey as the primary ball-handler and facilitator.

fzicarelli@postmedia.com