Pascal Siakam posts 33 points as Raptors rollick to 133-113 victory over Cavaliers

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Pascal Siakam had his way with the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers, posting 33 points – including five three-pointers – as the Toronto Raptors manhandled the team that used to punch them out of the playoffs.

Memories of the old LeBron James-led championship Cavs ruling the court in Toronto were long forgotten as the Raptors rollicked to a 133-113 victory Monday night.

Norman Powell continued to seize his opportunities in the starting lineup, putting on another explosive scoring performance. Given his fourth consecutive start in place of the injured Fred VanVleet, Powell dropped 26 points – including four three-pointers. It was his third successive game scoring more than 20 points and his fourth this month – as he shot an efficient 11-for-15, including 4-of-6 from three-point range. He also contributed six rebounds, five assists and orchestrated four steals.

Powell was once again flourishing in transition, speeding to the rim without any hesitation. After a few high-turnover games recently, he had zero turnovers Monday.

Raptors coach Nick Nurse was asked after the game if Powell’s recent play as a starter may have him reconsidering the Raps’ starting lineup even after VanVleet returns.

“Yep. It certainly will make me reconsider it,” said Nurse.

Powell played it cool when told about his coach’s comments.

“Coming off the bench or starting, it doesn’t matter to me as long as we’re winning,” said Powell. “I’ve always been like that, and that’s not gonna change.”

Kyle Lowry had 20 points and 11 assists, as he continues to get better by the day after his lengthy injury layoff. Serge Ibaka, also on the uptick, contributed 14 points and five rebounds.

The Raptors trailed only once and very briefly in the opening moments of the night. This year’s Cavs team is light years from the championship squad that got the best of the Raptors three times in the playoffs between 2015 and 2018. This Cleveland team – coached by John Beilein and fronted by Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson – never challenged Toronto as it fell to 6-21, sitting with the Knicks and Hawks at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

“There’s a lot of tough games behind us, ahead of us,” Beilein said when asked about his tough season. “Growth is the only thing we can think about.”

Before the game, Nurse (also Team Canada’s coach) was asked about Thompson, the Toronto-raised power forward.

“Tristan’s always going to be up there at the top as one of the best rebounding bigs in the league. Gosh, he’s sure had some amazing games in this building,” said Nurse, when asked how Thompson could fit on Canada’s team this summer as it tries to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. “We hope he plays. He’s one of the best rebounding bigs in the world. We’re playing on the world stage. He’d look good on our team.”

Thompson had 18 points and eight rebounds on Monday. He was the subject of an in-game video tribute by the Raptors – a series of season-long installments to honour Canadian basketball talent.

In an otherwise quiet and dull mid-December game, there were some razzle-dazzle moments from the Raptors that perked up the Scotiabank Arena crowd.

Patrick McCaw passed on a gimme layup in order to dish a behind-the-back dump pass to Powell, who dunked it.

OG Anunoby soared upward at the hoop and nabbed his own rebound, then scored a put-back layup.

Siakam launched three-balls over the outreached arms of lanky Thompson.

But the jaw-dropper of the night was a Siakam-to-Powell special. The Cameroonian launched up a lofty alley-oop pass to Powell, who went airborne and slammed down a one-arm dunk.

Anunoby had 12 points and nine boards on the night, also amusing with a flashy dunk.

The (18-8) Raps are in the midst of the busiest month on their schedule, halfway through a 16-game December.

They play Detroit on Wednesday against with Dwane Casey’s Pistons, before returning home to play host to the Washington Wizards on Friday and the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.

This week gives the Raptors an opportunity to tighten their game before a challenging holiday week next week, which includes meetings with the Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and two against the Boston Celtics.