Indiana Pacers Can’t Tame Raptors; Fall 104-88
By Evan Massey
The Indiana Pacers couldn’t win their second straight game, and fell to the Toronto Raptors 104-88.
81. 88. 100. Final. 104
Indianapolis, IN – The Indiana Pacers were looking to get themselves back on a mini two-game winning streak tonight against the Toronto Raptors, but that didn’t happen. Despite getting off to a 28-21 first quarter against Toronto, the Pacers ended up losing to the Raptors 104-88.
Unfortunately for the Pacers, the loss wasted a chance to get themselves on a two-game winning streak after finally snapping a seven-game losing streak against the Orlando Magic. They are looking more and more like a high draft pick team, which might not be bad for the future of the Pacers’ franchise. Paul George will be back next season, and the Pacers need to begin looking ahead to that.
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Rodney Stuckey led the way in scoring for the Pacers this evening, putting up 22 points on 8-16 shooting. He hasn’t been a major factor over the last couple of weeks, so it was good to see him get back to playing at a high level. Solomon Hill also had another nice game, putting up 15 points on the night.
George Hill came off of the bench to score 13 points and dish out three assists, and is beginning to look better after returning from injury against the Magic. Both Roy Hibbert and David West scored 11 points to round out the double digit scorers for the Pacers on the night.
Toronto was led by DeMar DeRozan, who scored 24 points on 7-15 shooting. He also knocked down 10-13 shots at the free-throw line, and has shown exactly what the Raptors needed from him since he returned from injury. Kyle Lowry also had another big game, scoring 19 points to go along with eight assists and seven rebounds.
Louis Williams scored 14 points on the night, while Patrick Patterson scored 13 points. Terrence Ross was the only other double figure scorer with 11 points.
Needless to say, the Pacers can’t be happy with yet another loss. They are now 16-31 on the season, and are falling farther and farther away from the playoffs. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Larry Bird be aggressive before the February 19th trade deadline, but it isn’t a for sure thing either.
Next up for the Pacers is another home game against the New York Knicks on Thursday night.