Raptors’ magic forward Pascal Siakam stumps Wizards in victory

Pascal Siakam is 6 foot 9 and listed at 230 pounds. To call him gangly would be a disservice to the word gangly.

The forward is like a human eggbeater, all arms and legs, which seem to be in constant motion as he sprints up and down the court for the Toronto Raptors.

And while his frantic approach may not always be quantified in the box score, his value to the team's early success this NBA season cannot be overlooked.

Siakam only had four points in Sunday's 100-91 Raptors' victory over the Washington Wizards at the Air Canada Centre.

But it was the other intangibles he brought to the game – his great hustle and never-ending desire not to give up – that had his teammates singing his praises afterward.

"It's very rare for a guy with that athleticism to use it 100 per cent of the time," marvelled Toronto guard Fred VanVleet about his jumping-jack teammate. "That's why he is special.

"There are a lot of athletes like him in the NBA, but very few that fly around the way he does each possession. His conditioning is great, he doesn't seem to ever get tired."

The Raptors were led by the continued inspired play of DeMar DeRozan, who poured in 33 points to help Toronto earn a season-high fourth successive victory and sixth out of its past seven.

The Raptors, 11-5, avenged a 107-96 loss to the Wizards on Nov. 5. Washington fell to 9-7.

DeRozan, who added eight rebounds and six assists, notched his fourth 30-point outburst in 16 games this season.

Siakam's contributions were a little more understated, as he came off the bench to log just under 32 minutes. Only DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, the starting point guard, saw more playing time for the Raptors.

But Siakam made the most of his minutes, finishing with a team-high nine rebounds. His finished with a plus-18 in point differential, tops in the game.

He also added two blocks, including an inspired effort early in the fourth quarter when he sprinted the length of the court to swat away a fast-break layup attempt by a startled Mike Scott.

"He really did turn things around for us," Toronto coach Dwane Casey said. "That rundown block that he got was just all heart, hustle, toughness and persistence.

"I've said this for the last few weeks that he's playing as well as anybody right now, just with his speed, his heart and his attention to detail."

Siakam was asked about his seemingly never-ending reserves. "Yeah, I get tired," Siakam said with a smirk. "But I'm from Africa. I got a ton of energy."

Neither team looked particularly sharp on Sunday, especially early on, in a mostly disjointed game. The Raptors, who have been utilizing the long-range attack with greater success this year, struggled in that area, hitting just 10 of 39 of their three-point attempts.

The Raptors got a bit of a break before the game when it was learned that John Wall, Washington's all-star point guard and second-leading scorer, would not be playing because of knee soreness.

The Raptors welcomed Serge Ibaka back to the lineup after a one-game absence with a sore knee, while Norman Powell missed his second in a row with a sore hip.

Bradley Beal scored 27 points for Washington.

A freewheeling opening half ended with the Raptors leading 60-55. DeRozan carded 22 of his total here but the Raptors also allowed the Wizards to connect on 50 per cent (21 of 42) of their field-goal attempts.

The Raptors tightened up their defensive game considerably over the second half, holding the Wizards to just 33.3-per-cent shooting (13 of 39).

An Otto Porter Jr. three-ball with just under 90 seconds left in the game cut the Toronto lead to 95-90 and provided the Wizards with some hope.

But on the ensuing Toronto possession, DeRozan dribbled the ball toward the basket, drawing a couple of Washington defenders in the process.

The Toronto guard then sent a nifty bounce pass in the direction of VanVleet and he neatly drained a three-pointer of his own with less than a minute to go that derailed Washington's comeback.

The Raptors are on the road for their next three games, beginning Wednesday in New York against the Knicks.