Jurassic Parked: grading the Indiana Pacers victory over the Toronto Raptors

The Indiana Pacers extended their win streak to 5 games with a 107-104 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

The Indiana Pacers fought their way to a 3-point victory over the Toronto Raptors. Indiana stormed back from a 12-point deficit in the second quarter to secure their 5th straight win.

The Pacers continued their win streak in front of a raucous Bankers Life Fieldhouse crowd. The fans were feeling the #LanceEffect as Stephenson posted a season-high 18 points. Lance made the whole building dance, and he led the Pacers in the fourth quarter with 13 points.

All Pacers not named Myles Turner or Corey Joseph scored in double figures this evening. Turner was plagued with foul trouble the majority of the game and Joseph was a non-factor versus his former team.

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The Good: The Pacers continue to shoot the lights out from 3-point range. Indiana scored 33-points from deep on 42% shooting.

The Bad: Indiana was hot out of the gate opening up a 27-14 lead with 3:02 to go in the first quarter. However, Indiana was ice cold in the 2nd Q and eventually found themselves in a 12-point hole. Granted, the Pacers got the last laugh, but it might make everyone’s lives a bit easier if they learn to play with the lead.

MVP: IS THAT LANCE STEPHENSON’S MUSIC?! Born Ready was clutch in the fourth quarter, hanging 13-points on Toronto and agitating DeMar DeRozan to no end. It took Stephenson about 4 weeks to get going, but we are happy to have Good Lance back.

LVP: Corey Joseph had a bad night. 0 points, 1 turnover, 1 assist, and 4 fouls against his former team.

X-Factor: This is typically where we talk about the x-factor for Indiana. However, tonight is a special circumstance. Former Pacer, CJ Miles, and his wife Lauren welcomed a baby girl to their family yesterday. The team at 8 Points, 9 Seconds extend our warm wishes to the Miles family.

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B-

7 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists. It was a frustrating outing for Myles Turner as he never found his rhythm against Toronto. Turner played just 21 minutes as he found himself in foul trouble for most of the night. Expect a better outing from him against Boston on Saturday night.