Hope Oladipo is okay… tough game.
 | Toronto | 106 | Final Box Score | 110 | Indiana |  |
 B- | P. Siakam37 MIN, 16 PTS, 9 REB, 4 AST, 0 STL, 5-16 FG, 1-4 3FG, 5-5 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -12 +/- The Pacers schemed him really well in this one. Kudos to him for doing a decent job of spreading the ball around, but this wasn’t his sharpest game. He’ll always bring the effort and we love him for that. All that being said, he lost his matchup and will have to keep working on his game so he can’t be prepped for like this. | |
 C+ | D. Green27 MIN, 10 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST, 0 STL, 3-9 FG, 2-8 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -5 +/- Was pretty synonymous with the offensive malaise the Raptors had in the middle of the game. He came to life towards the end, making plays on defense and hitting a big three, but not his best. | |
 A | S. Ibaka35 MIN, 23 PTS, 11 REB, 3 AST, 0 STL, 11-19 FG, 0-2 3FG, 1-1 FT, 3 BLK, 0 TO, -5 +/- I wrote about it in my pitch for Ibaka’s All-Star spot and I’m going to double down. His pick n’ pop game is going to be a nightmare for opposing teams in the playoffs. The Raptors went to that well often and he delivered. He was great tonight, even if it came in a losing effort. | |
 A- | K. Lowry37 MIN, 20 PTS, 5 REB, 6 AST, 0 STL, 6-13 FG, 3-8 3FG, 5-6 FT, 1 BLK, 5 TO, -2 +/- Getting closer to ‘KLOE’?… Looks like it. A little bit of grit, a little bit of flopping and a fair bit of shot-making. He looks closer to healthy now, and that’s a sight for sore-eyes. Really liked his defense tonight, very tenacious. | |
 C+ | F. VanVleet37 MIN, 14 PTS, 2 REB, 3 AST, 0 STL, 5-14 FG, 2-6 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, -9 +/- Pretty tough game for VanVleet. There’s no glaring bit of incompetence or anything of that nature, he just couldn’t quite execute at a level he (or we) would want. He was present the whole game, but didn’t become a difference maker. | |
 A | N. Powell20 MIN, 12 PTS, 1 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 4-9 FG, 3-6 3FG, 1-2 FT, 1 BLK, 2 TO, 4 +/- Something about the Pacers gets this man going. He was a great bench option tonight, going to the rim at the Pacers reserves and hitting jump-shots when Turner was in the game. | |
 C | D. Wright14 MIN, 4 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST, 0 STL, 2-5 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 0 +/- Still looking for him to engage with the pick n’ roll in the same explosive way he used to. Very passive on offense and unwaveringly disruptive on defense. Mixed bag from him tonight, but he’s capable of more. | |
 B- | P. McCaw12 MIN, 0 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 7 +/- Really loved his ability to attack ball handlers on defense. There was a 2-minute stretch where it looked like Cory Joseph never wanted to dribble again. He’s everywhere on the defensive side of the floor, and for now, he’s moving the ball on offense. Lots of things to like here. | |
 B | C. Miles12 MIN, 6 PTS, 2 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 2-6 FG, 1-4 3FG, 1-1 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 7 +/- Explosive start to the game that fizzled. Luckily, he’s still bringing plenty of energy in the other facets of the game even though his shot has come back. He’s swung the fanbase in his favour again, establishing himself as a positive bench piece. | |
 D- | G. Monroe8 MIN, 1 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3FG, 1-4 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -5 +/- Really tough night for Monroe. He was pretty bad. Anytime he gets staggered against starting bigs, it’s bad news. | |
 A- | Nick Nurse Thought the lineups he deployed did a decent job of playing Sabonis off the floor at times, which was really important. Clever use of Lowry on Turner, and Thaddeus Young’s scoring as a tertiary option was tough to game-plan for. Young made tough shots, and the Raptors lost, but I liked most of the decisions Nurse made tonight. | |
Things We Saw
- Really hope Victor Oladipo’s knee is okay. Really weird buildup to the injury… never seen something like that before.
- Not to harp on it too long, but Ibaka’s presence tonight can’t be replicated by anyone else on this roster and by few players league-wide. Once Valanciunas comes back and Ibaka gets to see his minutes come down a smidge I think we’re going to see a really strong stretch of play from him. Even stronger than now.
- This was a tough game for Siakam and an example of why he needs some sort of mid-range game. An off the dribble attack that isn’t dependent on getting to the rim. When teams play him correctly – like the Pacers did tonight – he looks very limited in the half-court. I’m sure he’s working on it tirelessly, but it’s apparent.
