Big nights from Pascal Siakam and Bennedict Mathurin not enough as Indiana Pacers fall to Toronto Raptors
The Indiana Pacers wrapped up a back-to-back on Monday night as they hosted the Toronto Raptors. The two teams battled on February 14 and the Pacers won by two — Toronto was hoping for a better result.
Both teams entered the day on a winning streak, with the Pacers winners of three in a row after an impressive victory over Dallas on Sunday. Each squad has been playing well since the All-Star break.
Indiana was better for the first few minutes. It wasn't a pretty game, but after three minutes the Pacers were ahead 6-3. They had just enough successes to maintain an advantage, and they were forcing the Raptors to miss often.
The Raptors hung around and tied the game at 12 after about 5.5 minutes, but Myles Turner broke the knot with a triple. Indiana had more talent, but that isn't always enough in the NBA. They needed to maintain a high level of play.
It was 22-21 in favor of Indiana late in the quarter as both groups brought it many reserves. The Pacers bench has been solid all season, and they had a chance to extend their edge.
Instead, it was the Raptors who were better for the rest of the frame. Toronto's bench went on enough of a run to take a 30-28 lead into the first break. Turner paced the blue and gold with eight points after one quarter.
The second period opened with back-and-forth play as both teams found ways to score. The game was frequently tied, and neither group found a way to take a lead bigger than one score.
Indiana recaptured the lead after about four minutes of second quarter play, and rookie forward Jarace Walker was in the rotation for the first time in a while. The Pacers lottery pick was getting some valuable reps for the first time in a few weeks.
As Pacers starters re-entered the game, the flow of the action remained roughly the same. With 5:26 to go in the half, Gradey Dick hit a three to extend the Raptors lead to four, which prompted a timeout from Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle.
It didn't help much. The game continued as it had been going for basically the entire second quarter, with neither team able to create much separation. At one point, the Pacers got Toronto's advantage down to one, but the Raptors scored instantly.
At halftime, Toronto was ahead 61-56. The Pacers were 6/21 from deep, which was holding their offense down. Pascal Siakam led the way for the blue and gold with 13 points at the break.
The third period began with good play from the blue and gold and Siakam, who were able to put a dent in Toronto's advantage. Siakam reached 21 points just a few minutes into the third frame as the Pacers mounted a comeback.
With the scoreboard reading 67-66, Toronto took a timeout. It helped tremendously. Over the next two-ish minutes, the Raptors went on an 8-0 run and pushed their lead to nine. Their defense looked strong, and the Pacers weren't able to stay close.
Even after a timeout, Toronto kept their momentum and took the first double-digit lead of the night. They looked like the far better group for most of the night, and they quickly erased any confidence the blue and gold earned with their play to start the half.
With 3:46 on the clock in the quarter, Toronto led by seven. The Pacers had a bench-heavy group in, and they needed it to cut into the lead. Otherwise, they were going to be too reliant on a late push.
Fortunately for the home team, Jalen Smith and Bennedict Mathurin each hit outside shots in the next few possessions to keep the score close. Even with the Raptors doing everything they could to keep the Pacers out of the paint, they weren't able to cling to their 10-plus point edge.
Mathurin kept scoring down the stretch of the quarter, and Raptors lead was down to three when the period ended. It was 90-87 at the time, and the second-year guard was up to 22 points. He was important in the Pacers comeback efforts.
The fourth quarter opened with an impressive Pacers surge. They tied the game with a Mathurin triple on their first possession of the period, and with 10:05 left in the action, they took their first lead since the middle of the second quarter. They had some energy for the first time in ages.
It lasted for a few more minutes as Indiana held a one-point lead with 8:35 to go. But the Raptors went on a 10-1 run over the next 81 seconds, and it flipped the game once again. The visitors were up eight and were rolling once again. The Pacers took a quick timeout.
The stoppage didn't help spark a comeback instantly, but the Pacers slowly but surely hung around. They weren't going down without a fight, even during a game that they were playing far below their standard. They were down six with about three minutes to go, and Mathurin tied his career high with 34 points around that time.
With 2:13 to go, RJ Barrett drilled an outside shot to extend his team's lead to nine points. The blue and gold needed perfect play down the stretch or they were going to drop a winnable game at home.
They cut the lead down to five just moments later, which still gave them a chance to steal a win. Their offense was finding space to score. But they had to get stops if they were going to make a full comeback.
Instead, the Raptors scored three more points and the game was nearly out of reach. It was 127-120 with 30 seconds remaining.
Toronto held on for a 130-122 victory. The Pacers defense wasn't good enough, and it cost them their three-game winning streak. They fell to 33-26 with the defeat, their first loss since the All-Star break.
Mathurin was excellent, finishing with 34 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. Siakam was also very good with 27 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Indiana needed a third player to step up throughout the game, but there wasn't enough consistency.
The Pacers next play on Wednesday when they host the New Orleans Pelicans on ESPN.
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