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The Toronto Raptors could be shorthanded for Game 4 of their second-round series with the Philadelphia 76ers, as it looks as though forward Pascal Siakam may not be able to play through his injury.
Siakam, one of the NBA’s most improved players this year, was listed as doubtful on the official NBA injury report on Saturday afternoon with a right calf contusion.
Update at 3:23ET: Siakam took warmups and is officially active for tonight’s game.
“It’s weird,” Siakam told the Canadian Press ahead of Raptors’ practice on Saturday. “I feel like the team can always count on me to be out there every single night. But things happen.”
His potential absence would be a big blow to the Raptors, who’ve leaned heavily on the 6-foot-9 power forward in these playoffs. Siakam is averaging 22.4 points per game in the postseason – second on the team to Kawhi Leonard – while his 7.4 rebounds per game lead the Raptors.
He’s been everywhere in this series, eclipsing 20 points in all three games against the 76ers while shooting .525 from the field in 37.3 minutes of court time.
Down 2-1, and coming off a game where they were thoroughly dominated by Philadelphia, the injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for Toronto. Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry is calling it a must-win game.
“Big. Huge. Huge. We need it. It’s a must-win for us,” Lowry told TSN’s Josh Lewenberg. “We wanna win it. We’re gonna desperately go out there and play as hard as we possibly can to win the game.”
When Did the Siakam Injury Happen?
Pretty dirty play by Pascal Siakam
Siakam says he’s unsure what caused the calf contusion during the course of Game 3. He acknowledges that it could have been this play where he sticks out his right leg to trip fellow Cameroonian Joel Embiid, who had his best game of the series.
Siakam was handed a Flagrant 1 foul for the offense, but he’s wasn’t able to pin down exactly when the injury occurred.
“Do you know how you got hurt?” asked a reporter.
“No,” replied Siakam. “There was a lot of contact during the game so I don’t know exactly when it happened.”
“It was the same leg you used to trip Embiid, right?” came the follow-up question.
Siakam: “Uh, yeah. I think so.”
How Will the Raptors Adjust?
GettyKyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard will have to carry a bigger load.
If Siakam is held out for Game 4, and that’s looking increasingly likely, even more of the burden will fall on Leonard, who’s already been carrying the team throughout the playoffs.
However, you may want to temper expectations, as Leonard hasn’t quite been the same player without Siakam on the court — facing the extra attention from defenses, his efficiency has plummeted.
The @Raptors have listed Pascal Siakam as doubtful for Game 4 vs the 76ers (Sunday, 3:30 PM ET on ABC).
If Siakam is out, Kawhi Leonard will be without his most reliable teammate this postseason. Siakam greatly impacts Leonard’s efficiency when they share the court.
Kyle Lowry will also have to be front and center if the Raptors hope to tie the series up at two games apiece. He’s struggled in the series, shooting just .351 from the field en route to 12 points per game, down from his regular season average of 14.2.
“I know I can put the ball in the hole, and going out there with that mindset is going to be huge (Sunday),” Lowry told the Canadian Press.
If Siakam is ruled out, he could be replaced in the lineup by some combination of Serge Ibaka, Fred VanVleet, or Norm Powell. However, Raptors coach conceded that “none of it is ideal matchup wise.”
Stay tuned for updated on Siakam’s injury status closer to game time.