The Toronto Raptors keep coming close but falling short, and they will aim to change that Monday night against the visiting Indiana Pacers.
A victory would end a losing streak that grew to seven games when the Raptors lost 126-123 in overtime on Saturday night to the host Boston Celtics on a last-second 3-pointer by Jayson Tatum.
The Raptors will face former teammate Pascal Siakam, who was traded to the Pacers on Jan. 17. Siakam scored 23 points on 9-for-11 shooting from the field Sunday when Indiana avoided a two-game sweep by the visiting Miami Heat with a 119-110 victory.
Siakam, 30, surpassed 10,000 career points on Sunday.
Injury-depleted Toronto lost for the 12th time this season on Saturday despite career performances by Jakob Poeltl and RJ Barrett.
Barrett had his first career triple-double with 25 points on 10-for-27 shooting from the field, 15 assists and 10 rebounds.
Poeltl scored a career-best 35 points on 16-for-19 shooting (84.2 percent) from the field and grabbed 12 rebounds for his team-leading seventh double-double of the season.
“We know what we can do and we know who we are,” Barrett said. “Right now we’re just trying to figure out how to get over the hump. We’ve been in so many close games, one overtime, against some good teams, so now it’s just how to get the win, how to close out the game.”
Toronto outscored Boston in the paint, 76-42.
“I thought we played a heck of a game,” Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic said. “We played against the NBA champion on a back-to-back, came here and gave it our all. We played the right way, moved the ball. I’m really, really proud of the fight we had in this game. A little bit of luck at the end of the game and it could have been a different story.”
Toronto is 1-7 in games decided by six or fewer points. They are a league-worst 2-12 overall.
Toronto’s injury list grew Saturday when Bruno Fernando suffered a sprained right ankle; he has been ruled out for Monday. Toronto has been without such key players as Scottie Barnes (orbital fracture) and Immanuel Quickley (elbow).
The Pacers also have injury problems with Aaron Nesmith (ankle) and Andrew Nembhard (knee) out and Ben Sheppard (oblique strain) leaving the game on Sunday in the third quarter after playing 26 minutes.
Myles Turner led Indiana’s scoring Sunday with a season-best 34 points, including five 3-pointers. He also grabbed nine rebounds. Bennedict Mathurin added 21 points and 12 rebounds. Tyrese Haliburton had 16 points and 13 assists.
Indiana rebounded from a poor effort in losing 124-111 to Miami on Friday.
“It was a great response,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “We’re trying to grow as a team, grow as a young team, and learn that you don’t want to have to respond all the time. You want to be the ones hitting first. And for the most part (Sunday), we were. Miami’s a great comeback team. The flurry at the end of the game — they do this routinely. I just thought our guys kept their poise very, very well.”
Turner said the game was “big for me personally.”
He added: “I just haven’t liked my attitude around here the past couple days. I feel like you’ve got to be an energy-giver. And just taking accountability, I feel like I’ve been an energy-sucker.”
–Field Level Media
