It wasn't the return they expected.
Pascal Siakam and Norman Powell suited up for the Raptors on Sunday for the first time since Dec. 18, combining for 35 points, but Toronto blew a third-quarter 18-point lead to lose 105-104 to the visiting San Antonio Spurs.
The Raptors welcomed former franchise player DeMar DeRozan back into the Scotiabank Arena and appeared to be in control thanks, in part, to the early play of Siakam and Powell, but a big fourth-quarter Spurs run proved too much to handle as the Texas club ruined the 2020 debuts for both key players.
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From the opening tip-off, it seemed as if 25-year-old Siakam hadn't missed a single minute of action. Averaging 25.1 points and eight rebounds per game heading into Sunday's contest, Siakam was slotted into the starting lineup after missing 11 games with a groin strain and immediately made his presence known, scoring the game's first basket and playing in the opening seven minutes of the contest.
Pascal Siakam opens the scoring in his first game back 🏀 pic.twitter.com/9B0Hjca3g4
— Sporting News Canada (@sportingnewsca) January 12, 2020
Siakam put up 14 points in just 13 minutes during the first half as Raptors head coach Nick Nurse limited the playing time of his team's leading scorer. However, his impact slowed significantly in the second half as the rust from a month off started to show, and the Douala, Cameroon, native only scored a single point over the final two quarters.
Powell had a better night, scoring 20 points on 57.1 percent shooting in 31 minutes of action. The 26-year-old guard injured his shoulder in the same Dec. 18 game that cost Toronto Siakam and centre Marc Gasol (hamstring).