NBA: Toronto Raptors vs. Indiana Pacers Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Toronto Raptors and the Indiana Pacers will probably be direct rivals for a playoff spot in the East. That is at least how things stand at the moment. The Raptors are playing inconsistent basketball, winning at home and losing on the road. Meanwhile, the Pacers are one of the nicest surprises in the NBA, and they are ahead of the plan for the moment. Many believe that this team will be one of the worst in the league, but what we see now, suggests otherwise.

Preview

Toronto Raptors (7-6, -110) lost the last three games on the road. The previous one was less than 24 hours ago in Oklahoma City, where Thunder managed to take down the former champions 132-113. Nick Nurse’s crew couldn’t keep up with the OKC’s push in the second and third periods, and the hosts pulled away.

Toronto allowed the rivals to shoot 55.9% from the field, and to hit 15 threes in 36 tries. The Raptors were inferior on the glass, and also, they allowed the Thunder to score 70 from the pain, which was unthinkable in the previous seasons. Meanwhile, the Canadian franchise had only 46.

One big problem for the Raptors was Pascal Siakam’s absence. The star forward will be out for tonight probably. With him out, Chris Boucher took the offensive duties off the bench with 20 points and 12 boards, Scottie Barnes had 15 the same as Fred VanVleet, but these two shot 10-for-25 combined.

Indiana Pacers (5-6, -110) will play their fourth consecutive game at home, and in the previous three, their record is 2-1. After beating the Heat and the Pelicans, the Pacers lost to the Denver Nuggets, 122-119. It was a very dramatic game in which the hosts wasted an 18-point lead.

Rick Carlisle’s crew challenged the Nuggets in all aspects of the battle, and they were leveled with them until the very end. The difference on the court was the MVP, Nikola Jokic, who entered his clutch mode in the crucial moments to push the Nuggets to the winning side.

Bennedict Mathurin scored 30 points off the bench for Indiana, six threes made, while Tyrese Haliburton scored 21 with 12 dimes. Buddy Hield had 17, the same as Isaiah Jackson, who entered off the bench and also added ten boards. Myles Turner delivered a double-double too, 14 buckets, 11 rebounds.

Head to Head Games

The two teams played four games last year, and the record in that series was 3-1 in favor of the Canadians. Indiana had one win, and that was at home in November, 114-97.

Prediction

Just a few expected to see the Pacers in this mode, and we have to say we were a part of that minority. Their head coach is excellent, one of the best in the league, and overall, he has a solid roster at his disposal. The Raptors are tired, and we think that Carlisle knows how to use that, and also to utilize the fact that Siakam probably won’t play. Even though the Raptors have a decent rotation and roster, we are going with the Pacers because of the home court and the fact that they didn’t play last night.

Pick: Pacers win -110