Raptors beat Pacers fans taste victory at home again
Author of the article:
Mike GanterPublishing date:
Oct 27, 2021 • 11 minutes ago • 4 minute read • Join the conversation
Indiana Pacers guard Chris Duarte controls the ball between Toronto Raptors forwards Scottie Barnes (left) and OG Anunoby during the second quarter at Scotiabank Arena on Oct. 27, 2021. Photo by Nick Turchiaro /USA TODAY Sports Article content The longest stretch between regular-season wins in Toronto by the Raptors came to an end on Wednesday in a satisfying 118-100 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
AdvertisementStory continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article contentCoincidentally, the Pacers were the previous team to taste defeat on the Scotiabank Arena hardcourt in a regular season game, some 612 days ago, when a then-healthy Pascal Siakam led them to a 127-81 win over an Indiana team not that much different than the current one.
This time, it was a heavy dose of OG Anunoby early on, plenty of Fred VanVleet through the second half, and just enough of Scotty Barnes and Dalano Banton sprinkled in to nail down that first win at home this season on their fourth try.
Anunoby got it going with 16 points in the first quarter before finishing with 25 while VanVleet showed us a little something new with a 26-point, 10-rebound night. VanVleet has had numerous 20 and 10 nights before but they were all of the points and assists variety. This was his first 20-10 points/rebounds night.
AdvertisementStory continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article contentBut this game was far from just the combination of VanVleet and Anunoby.
It was a night when all those spacing issues that had plagued the Raptors’ offence for the early part of this season, and bogged down the team in the half court in particular, got addressed and mostly cleaneup up.
There was more room for VanVleet on his drives and more room for Barnes when he pulled off what is becoming a signature spin and go from the top of the key, usually ending in a dunk.
Defensively, the Raptors were on point as well, getting back into creating offence off turnovers.
The Pacers conceded 22 turnovers for 29 points in this one.
Seven turnovers in the third quarter helped the Raptors gain some real separation as head coach Nick Nurse went back to his Canadian wave lineup that includes Khem Birch, Chris Boucher and Banton â€" Canada’s own version of the Killer B’s â€" and was rewarded with a bunch of those turning defence into offence buckets.
AdvertisementStory continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article contentBanton, played a season-high 16 minutes, pushing the pace and getting the Raptors into attack mode.
He scored a career-high 10 points, including a two-of-three night from behind the arc.
The other huge defensive effort came on Pacers inside force Domantas Sabonis. Sabonis got going early with six points in the first four minutes, but saw a lot of red shirts the rest of the night every time he ventured into the paint, settling for a nine-point night.
SOME INDY CAN-CON
In his short time here as a Raptor, Mississauga native Oshea Brissett made an impression both with his teammates and Nurse, but has been caught in a numbers game. The Raptors were forced to expose him to waivers to open up a spot on the roster, and the Pacers snapped him up.
AdvertisementStory continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article contentBrissett played 21 games with Indy last seson, 16 of those starts and averaged 10.9 points and 5.5 rebounds a night.
The other kind-of-Canadian on the Pacers’ roster, Chris Duarte, who was the Pacers’ first-round pick, 15th overall, in this past draft, is starting for Indiana as a rookie with injuries to Caris LeVert and T.J. Warren. Duarte was born in the Dominican Republic, but spent a chunk of his childhood in Montreal when he was growing up.
“When we lost (Doug) McDermott to free agency, we had to draft a player to replace some of the things that he did,†Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. “Even though Chris plays a different position and is a different style of player and not the same body type and stuff like that, his ability to score, his ability to play off movement, make plays, covered some of those needs for us.
AdvertisementStory continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content“He’s done what we had hoped he could do, and that was to be a mature young player that could step in and play meaningful minutes right away,†Carlisle said.
MAKING THE ADJUSTMENT
There has been a lot of talk from the Raptors these days about the level of physicality being allowed in the game, unlike previous seasons.
VanVleet mentioned it Tuesday after practice, and Nurse was beating that narrative again Wednesday.
“You guys a year ago would have been asking do you think these 131-130 games are gonna keep up?†Nurse said prior to last night’s game “ And now every night you look down there scoreboard it’s 93-87 every game that’s out there darn near. I know you guys notice the difference. I know I’ve said it a bunch. You guys are smart and have watched the games. It’s drastically different.â€
AdvertisementStory continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article contentNurse has seen this in the Raptors’ own games and throughout the league.
“There’s lots of bumping with the ball-handlers,†he sad. “There are lots of hits at the rim. But it’s being called all games, league-wide, both ways. You guys see it.â€
The Pacers haven’t experienced the same increase in physicality and lower scores having been involved in two high scoring games and another OT game, but Carlisle has noticed a shift as well towards a less dominant whistle in the game.
That said, he’s not at the point where he’s convinced it will stay that way.
“As a team playing in the NBA, particularly on the road, you have to be ready for everything,†Carlisle said pre-game.
Both coaches though, and really all coaches in the league, are aware the first team to adjust to the way the game is being called should have an advantage.
Nurse’s charge to his team is very simple in this regard.
“Man up,†Nurse said. “Man up and let’s go. We know what’s going on out here. Let’s adjust and let’s play. That’s what we’re telling them.
“We’ve got to play through hits. You’ve got to make layups when you’re getting hit. You’ve got to play through some pinball action in the lane without coughing it up. And then you’ve got to make sure you’re getting in your physicality on the other end.â€
mganter@postmedia.com
Share this article in your social network AdvertisementStory continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300 Thanks for signing up! Comments Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notificationsâ€"you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.
0 Response to "Raptors beat Pacers fans taste victory at home again"
Post a Comment