Injuries and rebounds doom Pacers against Toronto
By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL)
ISL Editor
(Photo by Pacers Sports and Entertainment)
INDIANAPOLIS — Defeating the Toronto Raptors (52-17) has been a difficult task for teams this season. Defeating them without your top two big men? Even more difficult. Already playing without Domantas Sabonis, the Pacers then lost Myles Turner to a high ankle sprain during the game, and it was too much to overcome. The Raptors beat the Pacers 106-99 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, earning their 10th straight win.
Aside from the injuries, rebounding was the story of the game. Toronto grabbed 19 offensive rebounds and out-rebounded Indiana 58-35.
The Pacers had a two-point lead heading into the final quarter, but couldn’t get the job done late this time.
“We were a little disconnected in the fourth,” said Pacers Coach Nate McMillan. “We got a little emotionally drunk out there. And we had some breakdowns.”
Despite the loss, it was a pretty gutsy effort for the Pacers, who receive a huge boost from Al Jefferson off the bench.
Pacers record against Eastern playoff teams:
TOR- (1-2)
BOS- (2-2)
CLE- (3-1)
WAS- (1-1)
PHI- (2-1)
MIL- (3-1)— Tyler Smith (@TylerSmith_ISL) March 16, 2018
Jefferson outscored the entire Raptors bench in the 1st half (15-12), and finished the game with 20 points and 12 rebounds.
“Nobody has to tell me how to get ready to play basketball,” Jefferson said. “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Basketball is my life. Whenever coach calls my name, I’ll be ready.”
“Next man up,” said Darren Collison. “No excuses. Everybody in the NBA deals with injuries. No matter what the game situation, we’ve got to be able to execute better.”
It was a rough night for Bojan Bogdanovic and Cory Joseph. They combined to shoot 3-of-17. Even a 5-for-17 combined night would have made a huge difference.
The Pacers grueling schedule continues on Saturday night, as they travel to Washington for a big showdown with the Wizards. Tie-breaker and seeding implications will be on the line. Indiana will be without Sabonis, and probably Turner once again.
“It’s just one loss,” Victor Oladipo said. “We still have a lot of games left. It’s not getting any easier though.”
The Pacers have handled the recent difficult schedule well thus far, going 6-2 in the month of March. With just 12 games remaining, every game will feel like a playoff atmosphere. Based on how this team was projected this season, fans should enjoy every minute of the ride.
