Four takeaways from the Toronto Raptors' blowout win over the New Orleans Pelicans

Scott Rafferty

•
Four takeaways from the Toronto Raptors' blowout win over the New Orleans Pelicans image

The Toronto Raptors started their three-game road trip on Saturday with a commanding win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Led by Kawhi Leonard, six players scored in double figures for the Raptors, including Serge Ibaka and Jeremy Lin off the bench.

For more on what happened, here are some takeaways from Toronto's blowout win...

Short-handed Pelicans

The Pelicans were without both Jrue Holiday (lower abdominal strain) and Anthony Davis (lower back spasms) in this one, putting them at a huge disadvantage from the opening tip.

That didn't, however, prevent New Orleans from putting up a fight. 

Led by Frank Jackson, Julius Randle and Cheick Diallo, the Pelicans trailed by only three points at the half. They struggled from 3-point range, but they shot 51.0 percent from the field and assisted on 18 of their 25 made baskets.

It wasn't until the midpoint of the third quarter that the Raptors began to pull away.

The third quarter

It was Pascal Siakam who set the tone for the Raptors in the second half, as he opened the third quarter with six straight points for Toronto.

His first basket came in the opening seconds of the frame, forcing the Pelicans to take a quick timeout. He then responded by scoring two more buckets, a layup followed by a hook shot.


Siakam cooled off by missing his next four shots, but it didn't matter because Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green carried the Raptors the rest of the way with a combined 17 points.

Whereas Leonard did all of his scoring inside the arc, Green did all of his outside, going a perfect 3-for-3 from 3-point range.


That trio was responsible for 24 of team's 29 points in the period, helping them build a double digit lead heading into the fourth.

Business as usual for Kawhi Leonard

Without Holiday and Davis, the Pelicans had absolutely no answer for Leonard.

The three-time All-Star came out of the gates on fire with 24 points in the first half alone. He made 11 of his 13 shot attempts, his only misses coming from the 3-point line.

Leonard got to his spots time and time again in those quarters, pulling up from midrange and getting easy points at the rim in transition.


Leonard did more of the same in the third quarter with seven points, bringing his point total for the night to 31.

Leonard sat out the entire fourth quarter with the Raptors up big. He played only 27 minutes.

A breakout game for Jeremy Lin

Jeremy Lin played in his best game as a member of the Raptors.

In his 22 minutes off the bench, Lin scored 14 points and dished out three assists. He shot an efficient 6-for-9 from the field and went 2-for-3 from 3-point attempts after going 0-for-17 from distance in his first seven games with the franchise.


The Raptors outscored the Pelicans by eight points in Lin's minutes. He wasn't perfect — he also committed five fouls and four turnovers — but it was a step in the right direction for the backup guard.

Scott Rafferty

Scott Rafferty Photo

 

Scott Rafferty is an experienced NBA journalist who first started writing for The Sporting News in 2017. There are few things he appreciates more than a Nikola Jokic no-look pass, Klay Thompson heat check or Giannis Antetokounmpo eurostep. He's a member of the NBA Global team.