Fan Duel Toronto Raptors

Quick Reaction: Raptors 115, Pacers 106

13 straight. Comment away… ya landlubbers. TOR Raptors 115 Final Box Score 106 IND Pacers B+ P. Siakam35 MIN, 15 PTS, 4 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 6-20 FG, 1-5 3FG, 2-2 FT, 1 BLK, 3 TO, 7 +/- Deserves a lot of credit for buoying the Raptors early offense with Lowry, but I think…

13 straight. Comment away… ya landlubbers.

TOR Raptors115Final
Box Score
106IND Pacers

B+
P. Siakam35 MIN, 15 PTS, 4 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 6-20 FG, 1-5 3FG, 2-2 FT, 1 BLK, 3 TO, 7 +/-

Deserves a lot of credit for buoying the Raptors early offense with Lowry, but I think he went on an 0-11 streak after RHJ smacked him in the eye. Friendly fire. He did a great job tracking down the back end of the Raptors defense and as always presented himself as a premium shot-contester.

A+
O. Anunoby28 MIN, 16 PTS, 3 REB, 0 AST, 5 STL, 5-8 FG, 3-5 3FG, 3-4 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 9 +/-

The 3rd quarter explosion was extremely satisfying to watch. He found the right mix of shaping up off of drives along the arc, and cutting under the help-side defense. Basically, he found the weak spots in the Pacers defense and made them pay. All that coupled with his near nightly elite defense.

A+
S. Ibaka40 MIN, 22 PTS, 10 REB, 3 AST, 0 STL, 9-17 FG, 3-5 3FG, 1-2 FT, 0 BLK, 4 TO, 10 +/-

There’s really not much more to ask of him at this point. He’ll go bang around with the league’s premiere post players, he’ll hit from downtown, he’ll make plays on the dive and short-roll, and he’ll wear a scarf to the game. Avec classe.

A+
K. Lowry28 MIN, 16 PTS, 1 REB, 11 AST, 1 STL, 6-11 FG, 3-7 3FG, 1-1 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 5 +/-

He was sensational before he took that big bump from Ibaka (whiplash). Relentless getting to the rim, using his body to bowl over the Pacers defenders and maintaining an incredible level of balance to stop on a dime and find cutters. He was masterful in this one before his injury.

A
F. VanVleet41 MIN, 20 PTS, 3 REB, 7 AST, 2 STL, 6-14 FG, 3-7 3FG, 5-5 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, 9 +/-

Found himself as a driver quite often in this game and did a good job of navigating the paint as a finisher and a passer. Had some really nice defensive stretches, too.

A+
T. Davis25 MIN, 17 PTS, 8 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 7-11 FG, 3-6 3FG, 0-1 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 7 +/-

There’s not much left to say. He hunts three-pointers like prime Ray Allen, and he can help out immensely on the glass in a pinch. No wasted dribbles, very little wasted movement. He’s a hyper-efficient, hyper-physical specimen. He’s an incredible young player.

C+
P. McCaw22 MIN, 0 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 3 +/-

One of those nights where he entered the triple-threat after receiving a pass instead of moving it on or shooting. The ball definitely stuck with him offensively, but he was pretty good on defense. Didn’t get caught on too many screens, and was pretty good at corralling players into the help.

B-
R. Hollis-Jefferson13 MIN, 6 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 2-2 FG, 0-0 3FG, 2-2 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, -5 +/-

Did a great job of fighting with the Pacers bigger guys. But, he was far too happy to initiate post-ups for himself and bogged down the Raptors offense quite a few times.

C+
C. Boucher8 MIN, 3 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 1-4 FG, 1-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 0 +/-

In a game where Ibaka plays 40, you need as many minutes as possible from Boucher. He didn’t get killed, and was a decent backstop against the Pacers bench unit.

A
Nick Nurse

Thought that the Raptors did a much better job of suppressing the Pacers from 3-point land, and you have to think that’s his adjustment being made. Let Davis II close, which was absolutely the right idea. Good stuff.

Things We Saw

  1. The Pacers aren’t their full selves yet, and if Oladipo ever returns to the top-12 player that he was, they’ll be a real force. They’re still a really good team, though, and the Raptors swept the home and home. That’s a big deal, and these games are just as important in the race for the 2nd seed as the games in April.
  2. I saw Kyle Lowry use the basketball as a buffer between himself and Aaron Holiday, using it to bounce him off of his line while he drove to the rim. It’s incredibly creative, and probably a bad idea for most players (presenting the ball for a tie up) but Lowry keeps defenders so off kilter that he can do this kind’ve stuff. Yeah, he used the basketball to push his defender out of his way and got an And-1. KLOE.
  3. I remember how impressed I was when the Pacers played the Raptors in the playoffs and Myles Turner was their pseudo second option. He was so good at playing off of Paul George, and it’s a little bit sad to see how awkwardly he finds himself fitting with these Pacers.