The Indiana Pacers were coming into this game off a huge win over the Golden State Warriors in a very convincing 20-point blowout win. This is a back-to-back match-up for the Indiana Pacers who have won 6 of their last 7 games and have been playing well. With a win in this game, the Toronto Raptors will clinch the 1st seed in the Eastern Conference. And also an opportunity for the Raptors to set the franchise record in wins for the regular season. Indiana has the opportunity to move up to the 3rd or 4th spot so they have something to play for as well.
Right out of the gate, the Toronto Raptors defense picked up right where it left off against the Boston Celtics a couple nights ago. They were solid and weren’t giving Indiana any time to get going. The Raptors jumped to a 16-4 lead with 4 minutes left in the first quarter. OG was doing a good job keeping Oladipo out of the offense. The defense was solid and Ibaka came out strong with an early 10 points in the first quarter. Even though the Raptors had 4 turnovers in the quarter, the Indiana Pacers were unable to take advantage. The Raptors were up by as much as 17 in the quarter and headed into the second quarter with a 12-point lead. The score was 26-14 after 12 minutes.
Cory Joseph, the ex-Raptor, was playing well and had become the starting point guard for this Indiana Pacers team midway through the regular season. The Bench Mob were playing with great player movement and ball movement. Siakam had two highlight reel blocks and was a problem for Indiana with his length and speed. CJ Miles continues to struggle with his shooting and has yet to find his rhythm. The Delon Wright and Jakob Poeltl pick-and-roll was effective as Jakob was able to go 5-5 from the field in the first half. The Indiana Pacers were hanging around and reeled off a 9-0 run cutting the lead down to 5 midway through the second quarter. The Pacers had picked up the defensive intensity and were able to score off the poor pick-and-roll defense by JV in the middle. The Raptors responded with their own run and built the lead up to 12 once again. OG was hounding Oladipo on the defensive end and drew a charge on the Pacers as well. Kyle was missing all of his open shots but managed to hit his most difficult shot of the first half in the corner with the defense all over him. Raptors end off the quarter with OG stripping Oladipo once again and hold onto a 45-33 lead going into the second half.
The second half began and both teams were trading baskets early. The Raptors had continued to turn the ball over and were up to 16 turnovers in the game at this point, but Indiana had only converted those turnovers into 10 points. The Raptors were careless with the ball, but were getting bailed out by their tough defense. OG strips Oladipo once again and leads to an Ibaka alley-oop in transition from DeRozan. Lowry follows it up with a 3-ball from the top of the key as the Raptors extended the lead to 17 again. Raptors get another stop and DeMar finds Ibaka for the three in semi-transition and the Raptors blow it open from there on out. This Raptors team’s defense was stellar and frustrated the Indiana Pacers who had great success the last time they were here. Toronto dominated that third quarter and were up 72-49 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Bench Mob started the fourth quarter and were playing well. The Raptors continued their bad habit of turning the ball over, but were able to prevent the turnovers from converting into any points. The bench maintained their solid play and the starters rested the entire fourth quarter. The bench took care of business without any hint of an Indiana comeback. The defense from both the starters and bench was superb as the Pacers were locked down to 73 points in the game. Another great defensive effort for 48 minutes as the Raptors hold opponents to under 80 points in two straight games. The Pacers had played the previous night and it showed as they were fatigued and could not get anything going for most of the night. Solid win for the Toronto Raptors and a historic moment for the franchise. A franchise record 57-win season with three games left in the season and have clinched the 1st seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time in the franchise’s history.
Toronto Raptors Indiana Pacers
92 73
Player of the Game
Serge Ibaka
27 minutes, 25 points, 8 rebounds, 0 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks, 1 turnover, 10/13 shooting, 5/7 3PT, 0/0 FT, +25
Serge Ibaka was spectacular in this game and was the best offensive player on the night. He was on fire shooting the ball especially from deep as he went 5/7 from three-point land. Every shot he took, he took with confidence and was a shot created by the flow of the offense. It was a smooth 25 points from the big man and he has continued his strong play as of late. Ibaka’s strong shooting and play is peaking at the right moment with playoffs right around the corner. This was Ibaka’s first full-year with the Raptors and the new retooled offense has been great for Ibaka. He is shooting .484 from the field compared to .459 last season. Great improvement and let’s hope he keeps surging forward.
Things To Take Away From This Game
1. Defense
The Raptors and their defense were fantastic once again. This is now two straight games where the Toronto Raptors have kept teams under 80 points. This is the team the Raptors have been for the majority of the season and for now, it looks like this team is finally regaining its identity. The defense was solid for the entire 48 minutes and was active and aggressive. Oladipo was held to 5 points thanks in large part to the determined efforts of OG Anunoby. OG Anunoby played a fantastic game and could very well be his best game of the season. He kept Oladipo out of rhythm from the opening tip-off and his length was causing Oladipo problems handling the ball the entire night.
2. Turnovers
The Raptors will need to take care of the ball better. 19 turnovers in the game in this one and luckily, Indiana were not able to capitalize on all of their mistakes. Against the better teams, the Raptors will more than likely lose these games if this keeps up. The All-Stars led the team in turnovers combining for 9 in the game. The home run passes are too risky and the Raptors should look for the simpler and easier routes. The turnovers do mean the Raptors are being aggressive but there is a method to the madness. Taking care of the basketball will be huge in the playoffs.
3. Three Point Shooting
Man, the Raptors have shot the ball horrendously from the outside in the past two weeks. The Raptors went 9/30 from the outside and continue to struggle. Toronto has yet to match their season average of 36.2% from three-point range in the past four games. CJ Miles especially has been off compared to the rest of the team. He has streaks of being on fire and then completely cold, but the Raptors need his strong shooting soon as the playoffs are only three games away. Lowry’s shooting has been wonky of late, but in this game he was on the mark. The 3-point shooting has been an emphasis for this team in this new retooled offense and will be important come playoff time.
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