Toronto Raptors vs. Indiana Pacers: Spicy P Returns To Toronto Once Again

Pascal Siakam and the Indiana Pacers are in town tonight as the former-Raptor makes his third return to the city since becoming a Pacer.

Toronto hosts yet another NBA Cup game tonight, but with both teams already eliminated, the story is more on the visiting team than the in-season tournament.

Spending parts of eight seasons in Toronto, Pascal Siakam makes his third return to Scotiabank Arena since being traded to the Pacers in January. Even though Siakam has since signed an extension to stay in Indiana, everyone knows the man that he is. Toronto is the city that shaped and molded him as a person, coming over as a very fresh faced 19-year old. Having made a mark on the city during his time here, Siakam has continued to support the city, even after moving on.

Despite the trade marking clear intentions from both teams that they were heading in separate directions, these teams are much closer in the standings than either intended.

While the Raptors have continued their ethical tanking, losing close, competitive games, they’ve been better at home with a winning record of 5-4. Winning on the road has been the team’s issue and is the reason why they sit near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

Now, stop me if you’ve heard this before. The Indiana Pacers have had a tough go of it to start their season, currently sitting below 0.500, largely due to their record on the road. An incredible 7-3 record at home is completely spoiled by a 2-9 record on the road. Winning at home has come easy for Indiana, but outside of their state, they’ve been a bottom feeder in the East.

On the road tonight in Toronto, putting both team’s records beside each other, it should be simple to predict a Raptors win, right? I’d surely like to think so. Even with four players still out of the lineup due to injury, the Raptors have been playing well and are coming off of a win over the Miami Heat.

RJ Barrett had a huge game, leading both teams with 37 points, while Scottie Barnes was one assist away from a second consecutive triple-double. The Pacers are one of the highest teams in terms of pace, meaning both scoring points and giving up points, so the Raptors could see another big scoring performance out of their front-men of Barrett and Barnes.

Where to Watch:

TSN, 7:30 pm EST

Lineups:

Toronto: Scottie Barnes, Ja’Kobe Walter, Ochai Agbaji, RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl

Indiana: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner

Injuries:

Toronto: Gradey Dick — calf (OUT), Immanuel Quickley — elbow (OUT), Bruce Brown — knee (OUT), Kelly Olynyk — back (OUT)

Indiana: James Wiseman — achilles (OUT), Isaiah Jackson — achilles (OUT), Ben Sheppard — oblique (OUT), Aaron Nesmith — ankle (OUT), Andrew Nembhard — knee (QUESTIONABLE)