Raptors Earn Team Dinner With Upset Victory Over Pacers
Darko Rajaković is picking up the tab.
It had become a joke for the Toronto Raptors this season. Nearly three months ago, Toronto’s coach promised his team he’d pay for dinner if they won three consecutive games this season. It became the evasive ‘pizza party,’ as fans joked, a seemingly impossible bar for these Raptors to clear.
On Monday night, Toronto earned its dinner.
After a pair of victories over the Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks, Toronto rode Scottie Barnes’ fourth triple-double of the season to a 130-122 upset victory over the Indiana Pacers.
It was a full team effort from the Raptors who continue to solidify themselves as contenders for a play-in spot, just 3.5 games back of the Atlanta Hawks for the 10th seed in the conference.
A Barnes block of Obi Toppin in the final minutes followed by a pair of uncontested dunks from the All-Star forward in crunch time as the Pacers tried to press for a turnover allowed the Raptors to survive against one of the league's most electric offenses.
None of it would have been possible without a stellar showing from Toronto’s bench.
Gradey Dick came up huge in the fourth quarter, nailing a trio of three-pointers as the Raptors began to eke ahead. He’s continued to look like a totally different player since his G League stint earlier this season and has been lights-out from behind the arc for weeks now. He connected on all four of his three-point attempts Monday night and finished the game with with 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting.
By his side, sophomore guard Ochai Agbaji popped off the bench for 13 points, his second straight double-digit performance as he continues to look like a valuable rotation player for the Raptors long-term.
Toronto’s second unit had to overcome the loss of Jakob Poeltl who left in the third quarter with a left ankle sprain. Poeltl kept the Raptors around in the first half, with 13 points before the break and some surprisingly impressive defense against Tyrese Haliburton on the perimeter.
Bennedict Mathurin did his best to ruin Toronto’s night. The Canadian wing was borderline unstoppable, dropping a career-high 34 points on 11-for-15 shooting. He helped the Pacers erase a double-digit deficit in the third quarter with a seven straight points for Indiana late in the frame.
But the Raptors never relented.
RJ Barrett nailed a clutch three-pointer with two minutes to go to put the Raptors up nine, capping a 24-point showing from the Canadian forward.
Barnes finished the night with 21 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists, and five blocks in nearly 38 minutes and outshined his counterpart Pascal Siakam whose night ended with 27 points, nine rebounds, and six assists.
The win earned Toronto its first three-game winning streak of the season as the Raptors have come out of the All-Star break reinvigorated and poised for a play-in chase.
Up Next: Dallas Mavericks
The Raptors will return home for a Wendesday night date with Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks at 7:30 p.m. ET.
