by Jordan Morey
Entering their final full week of regular season games, the Indiana Pacers have control over whether they make the playoffs or Play-In Tournament to start postseason play.
Three games remain on the Pacers’ calendar, starting with a matchup against the Toronto Raptors (24-53) on Tuesday at Scotiabank Arena.
The Pacers (45-34) sat in sixth place in the Eastern Conference on Sunday night – the final automatic playoffs bid – after a big win over the Miami Heat (43-35) in Indianapolis. The middle of the East is tight, as just 2.5 games separate the sixth-place Pacers and second-seeded Milwaukee Bucks (47-31).
The Pacers’ magic number to secure a playoff berth is down to two. They can secure a spot with two more wins, two losses by the Miami and the Philadelphia 76ers, or with one win and one loss by the Heat and Sixers.
Toronto has been mathematically eliminated from the postseason, and is just 1-9 over their last 10 games. On Sunday, the Raptors topped the Washington Wizards 130-122.
The Pacers, winners of four of their last five games, are hitting their stride heading into their last stretch of games. The Pacers have averaged 119.2 points per game on 49.5 percent shooting during their recent five-game stretch, while allowing just 108.6 points nightly.
While several members of the Blue and Gold have put together outstanding performances, Pascal Siakam, who was traded from Toronto to Indiana in January, has put up 20.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game over their last five games, and T.J. McConnell has averaged 14.4 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.0 rebounds off the bench.
The Raptors will likely be without All-Star Scottie Barnes on Tuesday, who has been sidelined with a fractured left hand on March 1. Barnes recorded a triple-double in a win against the Pacers in February .
Since the Raptors traded Siakam to the Pacers in January for Bruce Brown and draft picks, RJ Barrett has emerged as the team’s top scorer, averaging 21.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. After Barrett, Immanuel Quickley has averaged 18.3 points per game, 6.8 assists, and 4.8 rebounds since joining the Raptors.
After the trip to Canada, the Pacers will play in Cleveland on Friday before wrapping up their 2023-2024 campaign on Sunday at home against the Atlanta Hawks.
Projected Starters
Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Andrew Nembhard, F – Aaron Nesmith, F – Pascal Siakam, C – Myles Turner
Raptors: G – Javon Freeman-Liberty, G – Gary Trent Jr., F – RJ Barrett, F – Ochai Agbaji, C – Kelly Olynyk
Injury Report
Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin – out (right shoulder labral tear)
Raptors: Gradey Dick – questionable (right groin contusion), Scottie Barnes – out (left hand fracture), Chris Boucher – out (right knee partial MCL tear), D.J. Carton – out (right ankle sprain), Jakob Poeltl – out (torn ligament, fifth finger left hand), Jontay Porter – out (personal reasons), Immanuel Quickley – out (rest)
Last Meeting
Feb. 26, 2024: Raptors All-Star Scottie Barnes logged his fourth triple-double of the season and RJ Barrett chipped in 24 points in a 130-122 win over the Pacers.
Indiana trailed Toronto 67-76 after three quarters, and the teams went back-and-forth in the final frame before a 10-2 run late in the period helped Toronto to a 112-104 lead. From there, the Raptors held on.
Seven players scored in double digits for the Raptors, with Barnes finishing with 21 points, 12 assists, and 12 rebounds.
Pacers second-year guard Bennedict Mathurin matched a career-best 34 points in the loss, while Pascal Siakam dropped 27 points, nine rebounds, and six assists against his former team.
The Raptors outshot the Pacers 55.2 to 46.0 percent, outrebounded the Blue and Gold 45-43, and outscored the Blue & Gold 78-50 in the paint.
Noteworthy
- The Raptors own a 2-1 regular season series lead over the Pacers.
- Pascal Siakam was drafted by Toronto in 2016 and played for the Raptors until he was traded to Indiana in January, earning two All-Star and two All-NBA selections during his time in Toronto.
- Indiana is the only team in the NBA averaging more than 30 assists per game. On Sunday, the Pacers set a new franchise record for total assists in a season (2,411).
Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings)
TV: Bally Sports Indiana – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host)
Tickets
The Pacers close out the regular season by hosting Dejounte Murray and the Atlanta Hawks for the annual Fan Appreciation Game presented by Kroger on Sunday, April 14 at 1:00 PM ET.
Originally posted on pacers.com