Marc Gasol takes responsibility for Raptors' Game 2 loss

There are plenty of culprits to blame for the Toronto Raptors' poor showing in Game 2 but Marc Gasol accepted responsibility for the outcome following Friday’s 125-103 defeat.

Gasol struggled immensely, posting two points on 1-of-9 shooting to go along with five rebounds, a block, an assist and two turnovers in 19 minutes. Serge Ibaka took the majority of the minutes at centre during Gasol’s dreadful evening.

“I played really bad and that set the tone,” Gasol told reporters post-game. “The beginning put us in a real bad spot and we couldn't get a grip of the game early on, and I take full responsibility for that.”

Gasol was drastically outplayed by his Bucks counterpart, Brook Lopez, in Game 1. Lopez cruised to 29 points and 11 rebounds during an 108-100 win, and though he wasn’t nearly as potent in Game 2, Gasol has been a glaring weakness for the Raptors thus far.

Pascal Siakam also was critical of his own play Friday. Siakam was named a finalist for Most Improved Player prior to the game, but snarked that he didn’t live up to the billing during Game 2. Siakam also played poorly, fouling out in 26 minutes while posting eight points and two assists.

“I've gotta be smarter,” Siakam said. “There's a couple fouls I just can't have. It's part of growing. It's good to see that at the biggest stage you can't make mistakes. I'm gonna continue to learn, get better, watch film and make sure I'm better next game.”

If there are positives to take away from Game 2 — and they do seem to be few and far between — it’s that the Raptors’ starters are taking accountability for their sub-par performances. Whether that’ll even make a difference with the juggernaut Bucks taking a 2-0 lead remains to be seen.

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