Wizards Can't Slow Norman Powell in Raptors High-Scoring Victory

The Toronto Raptors continue to get high scoring performances out of Norman Powell who lead the way against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night

The Toronto Raptors are about to have a rotation issue.

Any day now OG Anunoby is expected to be back for the Raptors. He was upgraded to questionable prior to Wednesday's game and is 50-50 to return on Thursday, Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. When he does come back, the Raptors will have one too many starters. There's no way Toronto can sit Norman Powell and yet, the Raptors might not have a choice.

For the eighth time in the last nine games, Powell eclipsed 20 points, scoring a game-high 28 to lead the Raptors to a 137-115 victory over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.

Powell has always been a bit of a streaky player. When his shot isn't falling he can be maddening. To start the season he was averaging nine points on 30.5% shooting from the field through the first seven games of the year. Then once the Raptors began battling injuries, Powell turned into superman. He's averaged 23.4 points per game over his last while shooting over 50% from the floor.

"I just like his decision making right now the most," Nurse said. "He turns the corner; he explodes to the rim. He looks really confident when it gets thrown out to him. It's like one of those deals where when he rises up you're really expecting it to go in.

"I think it's just helping his overall play to. I think I noticed him making good rotations on D, blocking out a little better, all those things but he certainly playing at a high, high level right now."

The problem is Nurse can't take anyone out of the starting lineup for Powell. Both Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, and Pascal Siakam are all too talented to be moved to the bench. OG Anunoby is an elite 3-and-D prospect. And while Aron Baynes hasn't necessarily warranted a starting spot, the Raptors need either his size or Chris Boucher's in the starting lineup.

It's created a problem for Toronto with no easy answer.

Fortunately for the Raptors, having too much depth isn't usually too much of a problem.

"I know when we get OG back it's going to be a little bit different, minutes will change, but I think we're just in such a good groove and when he comes back we'll plug him right back in," Kyle Lowry said.

If Powell is content coming off the bench and doesn't cool off too much with a delayed start, then Toronto could be extra dangerous in the weeks ahead.

Raptors Offence Stays Hot

Pascal Siakam continued his hot streak, scoring 26 points and nailing three 3-pointers. His final bucket of the night pushed the Raptors over the 120-point mark for the fifth straight game, tying the franchise record for the most consecutive 120-point games, according to Josh Lewenberg.

The Raptors have scored 120+ points in 5 straight games – tied for the longest streak in franchise history (they did it in November of 2018) and tied for longest in the NBA this season (Milwaukee also has an active 5-game streak).

— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) February 11, 2021

Up Next: Boston Celtics

The Raptors will look to hit the .500 mark when they wrap up their six-game road trip against the Boston Celtics on Thursday.