ESPN's Adrian Wonjanorowsky is reporting that Toronto could be without Pascal Siakam tonight if his right calf contusion doesn't sort itself out in record time. What makes this "Woj Bomb" all the more surprising is the fact that Pascal played just over 35 minutes in Game 3, showing little sign of wear and tear in the process.
While no one knows for certain what exactly caused the injury (even Siaskam himself), Woj and Tim Bontemps of ESPN seem to think the contusion may have surfaced on a play where Joel Embiid intentionally tripped Siakam on his way to the basket. In talking with reporters the next day at practice, Siakam admitted to swelling, and host of other symptoms incited by the mystery knock.
The loss of Siakam could spell disaster for the Raptors, who outside of Kawhi Leonard's stellar play, have not been firing on cylinders in this second-round series. Pascal's current reputation as one of the NBA's most improved players feels like a bit of understatement once you consider the monster stat lines he's contributed in the postseason: 23.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game in the 2019 NBA Playoffs. Then you must account for Siakam's durability, both in-game and exponentially.
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The Raptors have only been without Siakam twice this season, at an even draw of one loss, and a win over the Chicago Bulls. Just to give you an indication of what the Raptors might look without Siakam if doesn't make the game sheet tomorrow night, here are the two starting line-ups Nick Nurse put together in his absence in 2018-2019.
Versus the NuggetsNurse started the game with Delon Wright, CJ Miles, Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, and Serge Ibaka at the 5. Of course, Delon has since been traded to the Grizzlies, so you can expect the underperforming Kyle Lowry to resume his ball-carrying responsibilities in Game 4. In the win against the Bulls this regular season, Nurse dressed a bigger lineup to compensate for the loss of Siakam's on-the-ball defending. Fred VanVleet, Kyle Lowry, Danny Green, Serge Ibaka, and Marc Gasol took the floor to start that game.