Nurse benched Siakam to end Game 5 due to 'defensive effort'

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse said on Thursday that forward Pascal Siakam didn't see the court down the final stretch of Game 5 due to concerns about his defense.

"I wasn't happy with his defensive effort," Nurse told reporters prior to Game 6, including Jeff Zillgitt of USA TODAY Sports. "I thought he just could have done more. He could have been more active, he could have got down in his stance earlier and more often and just been more of a problem at that end."

Siakam checked out of Monday's loss to the Golden State Warriors with 9:02 remaining in the fourth quarter, making way for Kawhi Leonard. Despite starting the contest alongside Leonard, Kyle Lowry, Danny Green, and Marc Gasol, Siakam never played again as the Raptors fell 106-105.

The numbers support Nurse's decision.

During the 34 minutes Siakam played in Game 5, the Raptors were on pace to allow 116.4 points per 100 possessions, the second-most on the team among players who played more than a single minute. While he was benched, however, Toronto allowed just 100 points per 100 possessions - the second-best off-court rating behind only Fred VanVleet.

Siakam, though, has positively impacted Toronto's defense overall in The Finals. Through five games, the Raptors have allowed 13.7 more points per 100 possessions when he sits, which ranks as the highest difference among all players in the team's playoff rotation.