Pascal Siakam drops spicy buzzer-beater on the Suns

The NBA isn’t known for its parity, but without Kawhi Leonard and OG Anunoby in the lineup, the Toronto Raptors were on a surprisingly level playing field with the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.

While coach Nick Nurse probably didn’t love the performance, it wasn’t a bad thing for Raptors fans. The close contest just set the stage for Pascal Siakam to come up with a clutch play as time expired in the fourth quarter.

The bucket was the first game-tying or go-ahead field goal attempt in the final minute of a game in Siakam’s career, according to ESPN Stats & Info. Furthermore, it was the first game-winning buzzer-beater by a Raptor at home in the last 15 seasons.

More than that though, it really was the culmination of the fantastic play Siakam has put on display this season. While some may have shied away from the spotlight and extra responsibility that has come his way due to the team’s injury woes, the 24-year-old has stepped up and thrived.

Entering the contest, he was averaging 15.0 points a game so far this season. That’s more than double the 7.3 he averaged in 2017-18. He’s also scored 20 or more points on 12 occasions and collected a career-high 30 against the Milwaukee Bucks earlier this month.

Siakam finished Thursday’s game with 10 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in 33 minutes. It was his 10th double-double this season – four of them have come in his first seven games of 2019. Plain and simple, he’s been on a tear as of late.

Most importantly, though, his amazing play in the final moments at Scotiabank Arena had a man who is usually quiet and reserved pretty fired up.

The 111-109 victory boosted Toronto’s record to 33-14. The Suns fell to 11-35.

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