Veterans Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam have the Raptors climbing in the East

They came in together, have grown up together, respect each other and have morphed into one of the more imposing duos in Raptors history.

Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam will forever be linked with each other and their combined performance Tuesday night is a glaring example of why.

VanVleet drilled seven three-pointers as part of a 33-point night — his third straight game with 30 or more — and Siakam casually threw together an 18-point, 12-rebound gem as the Raptors routed the San Antonio Spurs 129-104 at the Scotiabank Arena.

The longest-serving Raptors — Siakam was a first-round pick in 2016, VanVleet was signed as an undrafted free agent that same summer — helped Toronto win its third straight game and get the team to .500 for the first time since early November.

Now 17-17 on the season, the Raptors are making a move through the middle of the Eastern Conference standings. And while .500 is a nice benchmark, it’s not a goal.

“I think it’s a little something,” coach Nick Nurse said before the game. “Let’s put it that way. I think we’ve got some aspirations of us being not .500 or below .500, certainly well above.”

No two players are going to be more responsible for that run than VanVleet and Siakam.

VanVleet became the first Raptor since Kawhi Leonard in 2019 to have three straight games with 30 or more points with Tuesday’s performance.

Siakam’s night began in ignominious fashion with two fouls in 68 seconds and a quick trip to the bench. And while there have been nights when such a bad start would have weighed on his mind, affected his play and taken him out of the game, it a measure of his confidence and maturity that it didn’t Tuesday.

It should have been no surprise because Siakam’s play of late has been outstanding in more areas than just points and assists, a fact Nurse is quick to point out. In three games before Tuesday’s meeting with the Spurs, Siakam averaged 24.3 points and 7.5 assists on better than 50 per cent shooting from the field to anchor an offence that averaged 115 points per game, but he also averaged 13 rebounds and played above-average defence.

“I know he can score, and I know he can draw (double teams) and pass and do some things, and I also know he can defend,” Nurse said. “He is a really good defender and we need to keep seeing that.

“And I think it’s been awesome to see the rebounding and the finishing at the basket and … all those kind of things. So, there’s a lot that he can do and we’re starting to see all phases of it.”

Siakam chalks up his resurgent play to good health and a full return to form. He missed the entire summer workout and skill development process recovering from shoulder surgery and also sat out the first 11 games of the season getting in shape. He missed two more around Christmas when he was locked again in the NBA’s health and safety protocols.

“I’m feeling good, my body’s feeling good and I think I’m taking another step also just taking care of my body and making sure I do everything that’s right so I’m fresh,” he said. “And just a mentality shift in terms of being an all-around player. I feel like I have that ability and not a lot of players have that ability to be able to defend, be able to pass, be able to rebound and also score.”

It helps, of course, that he’s surrounded now by better teammates he’s familiar with. Having a full or nearly full roster puts Siakam in a position to be a facilitator as much as a dominant scorer.

The complete version of the Raptors is egalitarian, they have a handful of No. 1 options and it will change nightly based on matchups and hot hands. There’s no need to designate anyone as the go-to guy because anyone of Siakam, Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Gary Trent Jr. or Scottie Barnes could be it.

It takes a load of individual pressure off someone like Siakam, who seems as comfortable setting up teammates as he taking over.

“I know what Gary likes to do, I know what OG likes to do, and I know what Fred likes to do and I think just that just makes me even better and more comfortable out there on the floor,” he said.