The Indiana Pacers scorched the Toronto Raptors from three to win, breaking Toronto’s two-game win streak.
Well, we made it, the last Toronto Raptors home game of the season. The “last day of school” energy was swirling in the air at Scotiabank arena, along with stray crepe stars from the Olivia Rodrigo concert last week. Vibes were vibin’
Who else to join in on the celebrations then Pascal Siakam and the Indiana Pacers? The Raptors had the potential to win three consecutive games for the second time this season, and a win over the Pacers would also help them when it comes to draft positioning (because one of their picks for the draft is owned by the Pacers).
The Pacers on the other hand are in a playoff berth battle and needed a win tonight to better their chances at postseason.
Still, the Raptors are also in their own race to keep their top six draft pick this year, or risk it going to San Antonio should it fall to seven or lower.
Based on skill and injury list length alone, the Raptors were the underdogs coming into the game. They rested Immanuel Quickley, Gradey Dick was out after hurting his groin in Sunday’s game, and their other absences were still lengthy. Quickley was likely rested tonight to alternate tomorrow when the Raptors play a back to back, and likely rest Barrett and Olynyk.
Javon Freeman-Liberty slid into the starting lineup in place of Quickley, and helped the team get to a 9-2 start over the Pacers. He scored seven of the Raptors first nine points, going 3-3 from the field to kick off the game.
“Javon Freeman-Liberty the best I ever seen.” - Samson Folk, Raptors Republic
Other starters were the same as they have been, Gary Trent Jr., Ochai Agbaji, Kelly Olynyk, and RJ Barrett.
While the Raptors maintained a lead throughout most of the first quarter, a pair of back to back three’s form Tyrese Haliburton helped close the gap for Indiana.
Freeman-Liberty had a fantastic quarter, scoring 14 points, four rebounds and being everywhere for the Raptors on the court. He was the highest scorer in the game at that point, and helped the Raptors get to a 10-point lead, 35-25.
The Raptors continued to outscore the Pacers, forcing them into making seven turnovers. Bruce Brown got into double digit scoring in the second quarter, outscoring anyone on the Pacers.
Freeman-Liberty matched his career-high of 16 points before the first half was through, with RJ Barrett catching up in scoring as well.
The Pacers slowly creeped up to Toronto in the score, Siakam and Haliburton leading the way. They got their first lead of the game in the final minute of the half, and ended up 65-64 over Toronto.
The Pacers must have had some sort of epiphany at halftime, because they came out rocking with a 17-6 run on the Raptors, getting up to a ten-point lead. After a slower start, the usual fast-paced Indiana offence kicked in and they got to work. They were absolutely killing Toronto form distance, draining 12 three pointers as opposed to Toronto’s three.
Kelly Olynyk was leading Toronto on the other end, with 20 points of his own by the midway point in the third quarter. He was operating in the paint though, which wasn’t enough to keep up with the raining three’s coming from the Pacers’ end.
Unfortunately it was a quiet night for the Raptors’ shooters, and with Quickley out for rest, it didn’t help the team’s chances.
The Pacers had a steady 15-point lead by the end of the third, up 106-91 going into the fourth.
Both teams kind of rode with the bench squads for a lot of the fourth quarter, with some exceptions, but the Raptors tried out a few different variations of lineups. Kelly Olynyk continued to be the highest performing Raptor, but the offence didn’t really go anywhere for much of the fourth.
Indiana didn’t let up, and the only other Raptor to score 20+ points for Toronto was RJ Barrett. Bruce Brown had his best night as a Raptor with 16 points of his own, and Freeman-Liberty extended his new career high to 18 before the night was over. Unfortunately it wasn’t a very big night offensively for anyone else.
In the end, the Pacers get one step closer to clinching their 6th seed in the playoffs, and win over Toronto. Final score was 140-123.
This was the last home game of the season, but Toronto still has three games to go before it’s really over. They have one game tomorrow in Brooklyn, and then a pair of games in Miami this weekend to close it out.
