DALLAS: Pascal Siakam is going to face it. It’s coming, albeit maybe a little slower than some would want.
This season, the veteran Raptors player is adjusting to a somewhat different offensive strategy, and on Wednesday night, he made a big stride forward in his quest for understanding.
Siakam produced 31 points and 12 rebounds in his greatest game of the new season, helping the Raptors defeat the Dallas Mavericks 127-116 at the American Airlines Center, one of the league’s hottest clubs.
Siakam and OG Anunoby, who made three three-pointers and had 26 points, set season-high scoring marks as Toronto dominated the second half for its second straight win.
Anunoby was also among the cast of Raptors charged with slowing Mavericks all-star Luka Doncic and, for the most part, Toronto held him in check.
Doncic finished with 31 points, seven rebounds and eight assists but he never had a stretch where he dominated the game.
While Siakam has now scored more than 20 points in three of his last five games, he hasn’t really been himself this season.
He has been a bit tentative, hasn’t had the ball to initiate offence as often as he had in the past and has looked a bit out of sync.
“He’s trying to move the ball, he’s trying to find his teammates and that kind of took away a little bit from his aggressiveness,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. “The last two days I’ve talked to him like, ‘You better be aggressive first.’
“Aggressive to score, aggressive to attack the rim, to shoot the ball and if they put two on you, then it’s common sense to find your teammate. But he is just testing the waters, I think.”
Against the Mavericks, Siakam easily passed the test, going 15 for 25 from the field and destroying single coverage the entire time.
“I think that is my job, the coaching staff’s job, everyone’s job, for us to get ourselves in the best position we can get ourselves to,” Siakam stated. “I have to play at a high level for us to be successful anyway.” “I’m not under any pressure. All I want to do is head outside and engage in the game. And I will locate my opportunities. Knowing that, I
