Watch for the broken planks on your way to grab grog.
 | IND Pacers | 81 | Final Box Score | 127 | TOR Raptors |  |
 A+ | P. Siakam30 MIN, 21 PTS, 2 REB, 3 AST, 0 STL, 8-12 FG, 1-4 3FG, 4-5 FT, 1 BLK, 3 TO, 29 +/- Hardly matters that he got a little bit iso-happy in the second half, because he was unbelievably good as the Raptors jumped out to an enormous lead. That lead was built, by and large, by the stylings of Siakam’s post-game. Whether he was spinning into layups, doing hesi’s before finding a streaking Ibaka, or facing up to shoot it over top, he killed the Pacers. His control on offense was immaculate, and his defensive range isn’t really emulated league-wide. Superstar stuff. | |
 A | O. Anunoby28 MIN, 7 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 3-7 FG, 0-2 3FG, 1-2 FT, 1 BLK, 2 TO, 21 +/- Had a wonderful eye for the back-cut. Siakam, RHJ, Lowry, whomever – they found him regularly. His defense was of course dynamite, but he had a really nice floor game offensively tonight. | |
 A+ | S. Ibaka24 MIN, 15 PTS, 15 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 7-12 FG, 1-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 2 TO, 25 +/- He got the Raptors on the right foot from jump street. He ate up the middle of the Pacers defense, and he was super sharp on the short-roll. Monster night on the boards. Fell in lockstep with Siakam and thoroughly dominated the opponents front-court. | |
 A+ | K. Lowry32 MIN, 16 PTS, 8 REB, 11 AST, 4 STL, 6-13 FG, 3-8 3FG, 1-1 FT, 1 BLK, 2 TO, 29 +/- When the half-court offense slowed a little bit, Lowry was right there to push them into transition. And-1’s while fighting off grabby defenders, pull-up triples, you name it. His digs on Sabonis were also incredibly well timed. Great game. | |
 A | F. VanVleet26 MIN, 8 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL, 3-12 FG, 2-9 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 31 +/- His work defensively was inspired. His digs and rotations were tenacious and a big part of how the Raptors shut down Sabonis early. Wonderful game sliding in and being a star in his role. | |
 A+ | T. Davis24 MIN, 13 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 5-10 FG, 3-6 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 15 +/- His write-ups are sometimes monotonous and repetitive because he kills his role game in and game out, but ‘thems the breaks’ kid. Hunted those triples for himself, aggressive off the bounce, and happy to help on the glass. There just isn’t a lot of young players with his repertoire. He’s remarkable. | |
 A | R. Hollis-Jefferson20 MIN, 12 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST, 0 STL, 5-8 FG, 0-0 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, 17 +/- Uber-impressive stuff from him. Found the space against the Pacers defense as a cutter and a passer. When he can slither for offensive rebounds and showcase his above average passing IQ, that’s when he’s at his best. And his defense was just right in this one. | |
 A+ | C. Boucher17 MIN, 9 PTS, 11 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 2-4 FG, 1-2 3FG, 4-4 FT, 3 BLK, 0 TO, 12 +/- What a gritty and spectacular game from Boucher. Really leveraged his length wonderfully in this game. He was a menace when rim-running, and on his best nights he adds that new element to the Raptors offense. Loved his game in this one. | |
 A+ | M. Thomas15 MIN, 17 PTS, 1 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 6-8 FG, 5-7 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 21 +/- Sling it, man. Turned the pin-down into a lethal weapon. Let the shooter shoot, and good lord did he ever. | |
 B | S. Johnson9 MIN, 2 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 0-2 FG, 0-1 3FG, 2-2 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 8 +/- Got some minutes in as the de-facto point guard, which was fun! Collected some boards and hit Thomas for a couple triples. | |
 Inc | M. Miller5 MIN, 3 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 1-2 FG, 1-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 9 +/- Hit a three! I can die happy. | |
 Inc | O. Brissett5 MIN, 4 PTS, 1 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 1-2 FG, 0-0 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 9 +/- Big dunk! | |
 Inc | P. Watson4 MIN, 0 PTS, 1 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 4 +/- Big block! And an even better wrap pass to get Brissett a dunk! | |
 A+ | Nick Nurse The gameplan for the Pacers was spot on in this one. Utilized Siakam wonderfully, recognizing his floor game against the Suns and asking more of the same in this one. The work on Sabonis was also well designed. The Raptors had the Pacers unlocked in this one. | |
Things We Saw
- Justin Holiday is pretty streaky, but I think he’s officially inserted himself as one of those guys who really gets up for Raptors games. He looks like the ideal version of himself when he plays us; long, range-y, and can stroke it from downtown. Nice game.
- Anunoby didn’t find enough space for himself to get going from downtown (usually a feature of his best games offensively) so tonight seems like growth. He made himself useful in the half-court without needing to punch above his weight from downtown. If he can emulate this more often, it’s going to mean great things for the Raptors.
- The Raptors come in and spank teams. They have no regard for their agency as humans, they just come in and spank them. It’s almost unfathomable to cheer for a team that’s so fun and so unbelievably professional in the way they gather wins.
