It was the prototypical rollercoaster game. The Toronto Raptors’ performance against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday afternoon had everything—high highs, low lows and some straight-up bizarre turns, particularly in the final frame.

But the most important element of the game (Pascal Siakam’s return) thankfully landed in that first category, signaling the start of better things to come.

Toronto is now 6-5 and has dropped two-straight, with a two-day break before they play the Boston Celtics in TD Garden on Wednesday.

For now, though, here are three key takeaways from a strange defeat.

Toronto Raptors Takeaways vs. Brooklyn Nets

3. Pascal Siakam returns

For the first time since February 28, 2020 (618 days ago, but who’s counting), Pascal Siakam played basketball in Scotiabank Arena.

He looked good doing it, too—while there was some obvious rust (he missed a few bunnies around the rim, for example)—he flashed signs of his all-Star game on both ends. At one point, he took Paul Millsap all the way to the rim and finished expertly around him. Later on, he completed an and-one play against Blake Griffin down in the low post. All this while he poked balls loose, blocked shots at the arc, and generally rotated well.

“Just good to see him out there, healthy,' Fred VanVleet told reporters pos-game. “We’re gonna need him. I thought he looked good. He’s gonna keep finding his feet and his legs and for his first game I thought he looked pretty good, so it’s just good to have him out there.

“You kind of forget how much he can do and what he brings to the table so obviously he’s our franchise player and this thing is not gonna go anywhere without him so it was a good start.”

The cap for Siakam’s minutes was evidently 25, which became apparent when head coach Nick Nurse pulled him from the game in the fourth quarter with just over three minutes to play. In that time, he put up 15 points, four rebounds, an assist, a steal, two blocks and zero turnover.

Aside from the rust, the only other blemish on Siakam’s afternoon was his early foul trouble, which, in tandem with Scottie Barnes’ own foul count, affected the Raptors throughout the course of the game. Still, that’s not a big surprise for a guy who’s missed an extended period of time.

“Felt good,” Siakam said. “First time in a long time. Been through a lot. I remember I was talking to Alex [McKechnie] and he was telling me, ‘Oh you have to get a surgery.’ It was my first surgery, obviously, I was super scared. I remember just really crying—I don’t think I’ve cried like that since my dad passed away.

“Obviously we didn’t get the win, but it just felt great to be out there on the floor, like it’s been so long.'

Overall, Siakam’s return game should be looked at as a considerable success, and as he works his way back into meshing with this new group, Toronto will find itself inching towards its true ceiling for the first time this season.

“I think it’s just a reminder for the idiots on Twitter who have got to beat him up for the last two years,” VanVleet added.

2. Make or miss league

Ah, the old adage. Reducing a game to this simple phrase never encapsulates it in its entirety, but sometimes it gets darn close.

The Raptors' process for the majority of the contest was good, and it saw them accumulate a surfeit of high-quality looks from all over the floor, particularly from long range. And while they managed to capitalize on what they created on the interior (they outscored the Nets 54-36 in the paint), they couldn’t do so from deep.

Toronto shot just 23.3 percent from three, and OG Anunoby, VanVleet, and Gary Trent Jr. combined for a dismal 4-of-19. It's difficult for any team to win a game when three of its top offensive options are shooting that poorly from the outside, but it's near impossible when that team's opponent is a title contender like the Nets.

“Gary [Trent Jr.] had a couple, I think,” Nurse shared. “He probably had one or two that were pretty contested but he’s kind of been hitting those lately. OG [Anunoby] I thought had really good ones. We’re gonna need those. I think at times you’re going to see a little bit of spacing issues out there on the floor and when we do have that and we get those chances those are the things that are going to keep the offence ticking over.”

Gutsy as they are, the Raptors just don’t have the kind of firepower necessary to overcome a cold streak like that against a top-tier adversary. The margins are thin for this group.

1. Fourth-quarter questions

There’s no way around it—the fourth quarter of this game was a weird one.

It began with both Svi Mykhailiuk and Precious Achiuwa on the floor for the Raptors along with the starters, which was understandable, as Barnes was in foul trouble and Anunoby needed to get rest at some point.

But with the game beginning to get away from Toronto and the clock ticking, Nurse opted to leave Mykhailiuk in the game while subbing in Anunoby for Achiuwa, leaving Barnes, oddly, on the bench. It wasn’t until 3:33 left in the game that Barnes saw the floor again, with the game pretty much out of hand.

Even then, though, the chance for a closing run seemed unlikely, as Nurse pulled Siakam due to his 25-minute cap. In to replace him was Chris Boucher (Khem Birch did not play with a swollen knee), who had yet another tough game.

“We were shooting for 4×6 tonight, six-minute stints,”” Nurse said of Siakam’s restrictions.

It was a strange string of sequences altogether, one that probably limited the Raptors’ chances to steal a victory at home against a very tough foe. Nurse, unsurprisingly, has had a strong start to the season rotation-wise, but this wasn’t one of his finest evenings.