There are obvious storylines, and a not so obvious one, coming out of Game 5 for the Raptors. We’ll touch on one of each. First, the obvious.
Talk about obvious. Powell put up breakout numbers in Game 5 of the first round (deja vu, huh?), with a team leading 25 points in 34 minutes, on 8-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-4 from three (now up to 7-of-7 from distance over the past two games). Throw in 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and a block for good measure, and you’ve got yourself a good game.
Powell has made all the difference for the ball club — the team desperately needed another option to attack off of outlet passes when DeRozan or Lowry get doubled in pick plays.