Pacers lose to Raptors despite having 61 teamed points via Pascal Siakam and Benedict Mathurin.
At Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Monday night, the Raptors defeated the Pacers 130-122 to end their three-game winning streak. In terms of sixth existence in the Eastern Conference, the Pacers’ lead over Orlando and Miami shrank to half as they dropped to 33-13. Toronto got better to 22–36.
These are four things I’ve noticed.
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In the paint, raptors rule.
Even though the Raptors are currently in the lottery for the draft, their length and strong point guard players make them a threat from positions 2 through 5.
Because of this, the Raptors were difficult to stop outside the paint, along with the Pacers have trouble playing against teams that do that. All five of Toronto’s wings had excellent games as they defeated the Pacers 78–50 in the painting.
Superstar With twenty-one points, twelve rebounds, and twelve assists, Scottie Barnes recorded a triple double. Gary Trent Jr. scored 11, R.J. Barrett scored 24, and center Jakob Poetl scored 15 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. The Pacers and Raptors were tied at the half, but they were unable to get past the disparity in paint.
After the Pacers briefly held the top spot in this category, the Raptors now lead the NBA with 18.7 fast-break points per game. On Monday night, they scored 26 points to the Pacers’ 11 points. Even with a set defence, the Pacers couldn’t stop Toronto’s attack, which may have contributed to the disparity. However, the majority of those containers were layups.
In essence, it was a “you-name-it” situation, according to Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle. Paint points are awarded for transitions. Slices. propels. And-1s, there were numerous variations. We must improve. Although disappointing, we must move past it.
After receiving a trade by the Raptors in January, Pacers towards Pascal Siakam is familiar with their style of play. He also witnessed the Pacers struggle towards some of Toronto’s greatest advantages.
Siakam remarked, “It seems like they were more energetic than we were today.” “They performed more quickly. They really helped us with cuts and other paint-related issues. Really, we can’t have that. Stopping them in their tracks to force them to choose their second or third course of action is imperative. There were a lot of simple layups and cuts.”
The night is brutal for Tyrese Haliburton.
While the Pacers’ two and three best perimeter scorers had fantastic nights, their star player had one of his lowest games of the year.
Tyrese Haliburton, a two-time All-Star point guard, shot just 2 out of 11 times, scoring nine points, unable to find the basket in any situation. Along with missing two of his six free throw attempts, he was just 1 of 6 from 3-point range. Excellent defence, particularly from guards Trent and Immanuel Quickley, played a part in that, but Haliburton occasionally missed shots that he usually makes. Despite his one turnover and seven assists in the end, the Pacers seemed -15 when he was on the court.
Tyrese was intentionally made to feel difficult by Toronto, Carlisle said. “He also had a bad night. Giving them too much credit would be inappropriate. I’ll watch the movie. I could have done a few things to benefit our team that I did not. I need to identify those and improve for the next game.”
Because of Haliburton’s infrequent difficulties, the Pacers found it more challenging to perform as a unit. They made only 13 of 42 baskets and struck 46% from the field. They were carried by Bennedict Mathurin as well as Pascal Siakam, but apart from those two players, they only shot 24 of 63 (38.1%) from the pitch.
A career high is matched by Bennedict Mathurin
Bennedict Mathurin, a second-year wing, found his range and made some crucial outside shots to keep Indiana in the game while the Pacers struggled offensively.
With 11 of 15 shots, including 5 of 8 from beyond the arc, Mathurin scored 34 points. Those three-pointers came in handy during the third quarter, when the Pacers were falling behind by double digits, and early in the fourth, another one tied the score at ninety. In addition, he had two steals, five assists, and nine rebounds.
“As the game went on and we were struggling, Mathurin’s shot-making in the second half, particularly in the third quarter, held us in the game,” Carlisle stated. When we were down 12, he was the only one who could keep us in the contest. He was pulling off some incredibly fierce and valiant poses.”
Compared to his 32.3% 3-point percentage from the previous season, Mathurin’s current season average of 37.8% represents a notable improvement. Despite his recent poor shooting performance (he had only made four of his prior fifteen threes before Monday night’s game), he is generally more confident when he is in rhythm.
Mathurin remarked, “I felt confident stepping into my shot.” Knowing that I put in a lot of effort, I watched the first one be accepted. I chose the subsequent one. I continued after the next one was in.”
Pascal Siakam dominates his former team.
Pascal Siakam faced his former team again, and he was obviously still fired up. The Pacers were occasionally led by the former Raptors All-Star, and he assisted Mathurin in keeping the team in the game.
Siakam shot 11 of 22 for a total of 27 points, including 3 of 8 from three-point range. In one of his best performances of the whole season with Indiana, he also grabbed nine rebounds and dishevelled six assists.
“I was playing a little fast and continuing to attack,” Siakam stated. To score in the paint, I was looking for small inconsistencies. As a team, I believe we must keep doing that, and I am confident in my ability to do so. Once they assist, it’s just a matter of making the appropriate plays. I have to be able to accomplish that. My goal on the second evening of a back-to-back is to be as forceful as possible.”
Raptors vs. Pacers box score
Toronto (130): Trent Jr. 5-12 0-0 11, Barnes 8-18 5-5 21, Olynyk 2-4 2-4 7, B. Brown 1-4 0-0 2, Poeltl 7-10 1-1 15, Dick 7-9 0-0 18, Barrett 11-16 0-3 24, Quickley 8-16 0-0 19, Agbaji 4-7 4-4 13. Adds up to 53-96 12-17 130.Trent Jr. 5-12 0-0 11, Barrett 11-16 0-3 24, Barnes 8-18 5-5 21, Olynyk 2-4 2-4 7, B. Quickley 8-16 0-0 19, Poeltl 7-10 1-1 15, Brown 1-4 0-0 2, Dick 7-9 0-0 18, Agbaji 4-7 4-4 13. Adds up to 53-96 12-17 130.
Indiana (122): Turner 5-8 4-6 16, McDermott 0-2 0-0 0, Haliburton 2-11 4-6 9, McConnell 5-8 0-0 10, Toppin 2-8 0-0 4, Sheppard 1-4 0-0 2. Mathurin 11-15 7-9 34, Walker 0-1 0-0 0, Siakam 11-22 2-2 27. 46-100 17-23 122 in total.
31 30 40 — 130 TOR
32, 28, 31, 35, — 122
Toronto 12–28 (Dick 4–4, Quickley 3–7, Barrett 2-3, Agbaji 1-2, Olynyk 1-2, Trent Jr. 1-6, B. Brown 0-1, Barnes 0-3), Indiana 13–42 (Mathurin 5-8, Siakam 3–8, Turner 2-3, Smith 1-2, Nembhard 1-4, Haliburton 1-6, Walker 0-1, McDermott 0-2, Sheppard 0-3, Toppin 0-5) were the teams for 3-point goals. None were fouled out. Rebounds: Indiana 43 (Turner 11), Toronto 45 (Barnes 12). Assisted by Barnes (12) at Toronto 35, Harrison (7) at Indiana 27. Total Fouls_Toronto 17, Indiana 19. A_16,026 (20,000)
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