Pascal Siakam benched by Raptors as discipline for leaving floor early
Pascal Siakam was benched by the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night as a disciplinary measure.
Siakam fouled out with a minute to go in the Raptors’ 100-93 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night. He exited the floor after fouling out rather than remain with his team on the sideline.
Raptors head coach Nick Nurse said at the time that he did not know what Siakam had done. But Nurse recognized Siakam was having a hard night after fouling out and shooting just 8/23.
Here's what Nick Nurse had to say after Pascal Siakam walked off the court after fouling out against the 76ers: pic.twitter.com/LpTW3zQkSg
— πππ«π¨π§ ππ¨π¬π (@AaronBenRose) January 1, 2021
Toronto decided to bench Siakam for the team’s home game against the New York Knicks.
The Toronto Raptors decided to sit All-Star Pascal Siakam tonight vs. New York as a disciplinary measure, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Siakam exited the floor early after fouling out Tuesday in Philadelphia.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 1, 2021
The Raptors are off to a 0-3 start this season. Last season they had the second-best record in the Eastern Conference but lost in the playoffs to the Boston Celtics. Siakam had a rough series against Boston.
