The Raptors played the Washington Wizards last night in their last game before the All-Star break. They came away with the win, 129-120, aided by career nights from some of their young stars.
New addition Marc Gasol played in his third game with the team and Jeremy Lin made his Raptors debut in front of a home crowd.
Here are my takeaways from that game:
1. Jeremy Lin Looked Good in Raptors Debut
Newest Raptor Jeremy Lin arrived in Toronto on Wednesday and played a game that same night. He had 8, 5, and 5 on the night.
Despite being a complete newcomer and knowing just three plays, Lin showed good chemistry with his new teammates. In particular, he made several connections with Kyle Lowry, both assisting and being assisted by the All-Star point guard.
The addition of Lin has fans across Canada excited. If his debut was any indication of things to come, he will be a key player on this team, especially given the injury that will sideline backup point guard Fred VanVleet for at least five weeks.
2. Jeff Green Showed Out for Washington
After a hugely inconsistent season in which he has averaged 12.5 points per game on solid shooting numbers (47.5% from the field, 37.4% from deep), Jeff Green had one of his good games against the Raptors.
The journeyman forward played 40 minutes on the night, scoring 23 points and grabbing 7 boards.
3. Pascal and OG Had Themselves a Game
Toronto's two young, stretchy wings, Kawhi Leonard's heir-apparents on the Raptors showed out in front of the man himself, who was inactive last night.
Pascal Siakam set his seventh career-high in points this season alone with a whopping 44, and OG Anunoby set a career-high of his own with 22.
For Anunoby, who's been having a disappointing second season after starting much of his rookie year, his performance against the Wizards had to have felt good.
With his 44, Siakam just strengthened his case for NBA Most Improved Player, an award he is set to run away with in June, barring any serious injuries or unexpected declines in play.
The Raptors' first game after the break sees them playing the Spurs in DeMar DeRozan's (and Jakob Poeltl's) first game in Toronto as a Spur. The Wizards will be in Charlotte on the same day for their first game back from the break.