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Pascal Siakam · It was going to take something special from the Toronto Raptors to end the New York Knicks’ eight-game winning streak. How about the best offensive performance of Pascal Siakam’s career? Siakam lit up the Big Apple with a scintillating showing, mostly on drives to the rim and mid-range jumpers with a pair of 3-pointers mixed in for good measure. Siakam got the best of whatever defender the Knicks sent his way — he beat Mitchell Robinson on a foul-line fadeaway and strong take to the rim, Jericho Sims in traffic on a drive through the paint, Julius Randle in the lane and from downtown as well as Isaiah Hartenstein on a couple of close-range buckets. Siakam shot 17 of 25 from the field and 16 for 18 at the stripe en route to 52 points, which bested his previous career-high of 44, while also contributing nine rebounds and seven assists in Toronto’s 113-106 victory on December 21, 2022. An All-Star for the second time in 2023, Siakam averaged a career-best 24.2 points per game. · State of Mint