Pacers vs Raptors: Trying to Avoid 7 Straight Losses
By Ben Gibson
Indiana Pacers (7-15) at Toronto Raptors (16-6)
Another game, another close loss. That seemingly has been the story of the Indiana Pacers so far this season, and it doesn’t look like it is getting any either when they head across the border to take on the Toronto Raptors. The Pacers are spared having to face DeMar DeRozan as he recovers from injury, but that doesn’t mean the Raptors aren’t still one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. Toronto has lost two of their last five, but considering both were to the Cleveland Cavaliers, you mind want to take that with a grain of salt.
The Raptors will still have plenty of firepower without DeRozan as Kyle Lowry is averaging 20.1 points a game, mostly from the mid-range. Lowry will be looking to find holes in the Indiana defense from there but if not he can drop the ball into the post where all three of the Raptors front court players (Amir Johnson, Jonas Valanciunas, and Terrence Ross are all averaging over 10 points a game. A good number of their baskets come from inside the paint so it will be incumbent on Roy Hibbert and David West to make sure it isn’t too easy for them to score from there.
Throwing the Raptors off their current flow will be important as the Pacers will need to reign in both Valanciunas and Lowery. Valanciunas scored 18 points while grabbing 15 rebounds in their last game against the Cavs, and Lowry had a season-high 14 assists. While the two losses recently came against those same Cavaliers, the current starting line up of Valanciunas, A. Johnson, Ross, Lowry and Greivis Vasquez are 3-2.
Who to watch on the Raptors: Lou Williams has been averaging 13.9 point per a game coming off the bench for the Toronto Raptors. In the loss to the Clippers it was Indiana’s second unit got them back into the game. If they don’t slow down Williams there won’t be much of chance at a comeback.
Who to watch on the Pacers: C.J. Watson has quietly been one of Indiana’s most effective players as of late, and arguably deserves to be a starter. Frank Vogel has talked about shaking up the line-up, and it would only make sense to see more Watson.
The Big Question
Can Indiana avoid digging themselves the same giant hole they’ve dug themselves into in almost every game? That’s important against any team but considering Toronto has won 39 games in a row (before losing to Cleveland) when leading after three quarters, the Pacers can’t assume they can dig back out like they almost did against the Clippers. The Raptors have an average defense, but that is plenty enough to keep teams from coming back when you have the league’s second most efficient offense with a 111.7 rating.
Betting Line
The Raptors are a -9 home favorite with a 198 over/under. I’d mainly say stay away from such a big line, but with the Raptors at home I believe it makes more sense to take them and the over.
One Random Thing
This.