Previous suggested the Toronto Raptors fined forward Pascal Siakam $50,000 on Tuesday following a heated verbal exchange with head coach Nick Nurse during Sunday night's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The nature of that fine is in question, but some of the details of the purported incident are emerging. Said details appear to highlight the tension building in Toronto's locker room.
The Raptors trailed by 22 when they charged back into the game. But Siakam was on the bench for the entirety of the run, staying there even when Toronto cut the deficit to six with about six minutes still to play.
The Raptors struggled to score down the stretch and lost what was, at the time, their eighth straight game. Michael Grange of Sportsnet reported Pascal Siakam was fuming afterwards:
Siakam wasn’t happy and — according to multiple sources — let Nurse know about it, loudly and aggressively with words beyond standard cursing. It got personal, lines were crossed and teammates had to intervene, according to multiple sources.
Grange reported Siakam had not been fined as of Wednesday morning and the Raptors were deciding how best to handle the situation.
Regardless, things are getting ugly in Toronto.
The Raptors have lost nine straight. Kyle Lowry and Norman Powell have been involved in trade chatter. Toronto is all but guaranteed to be sellers ahead of the deadline.
Siakam in particular has had a tough season. He was benched in December as a disciplinary measure and contracted COVID-19 in February. Not exactly the redemption he sought after a poor performance in the Orlando “bubble.”
Grange reported Nick Nurse and Pascal Siakam actually have a strong relationship, which could well smooth things over. But there is no question the frustration is boiling over for the 2019 NBA champions.
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