Raptors pushed the pace against old friends

When Unc and pseudo-assistant coach Gary Temple subs in at the end of game – for only his second time this season – and Ja’Kobe Walter checks back in, it might not look like a rivalry. The wider margin for error allowed Scottie to get his Magic Johnson on too, throwing a fancy behind-the-back pass to Poeltl in transition. 

Despite a slow start, the Raptors pushed the pace (107.5) – at a rate much higher than their season average of 102 – en route to a convincing 129-111 victory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. 

The Pacers are a league-worst 1-12 and the Raptors now sit at 8-5. But the Raptors respected the Pacers and that brought out the competitive fire between the two.   

Once upon a time, the Raptors were Pascal’s team. His close friend Poeltl got to the free throw line in the first half and to answer, Pascal hit him with a fade away jumper over top of him. 

And that torch Pascal once carried was passed onto Scottie. The latter made that known in the second quarter with a block so hard against the glass, it became a “block assist” for RJ on the other end. That put the Raps up by six.

Then early in the third, Scottie leaked out, caught the ball, waited a split second longer than necessary for Pascal to get back, dunked it authoritatively with two hands and drew the and-one. Scottie couldn’t hide his emotions and flashed a wide smile to Spicy P – perhaps, something he could only do in the shadows at BioSteel, away from the cameras.

Not only did the past blend together in the present, but the future went against the past. CMB was getting his hands in passing lanes as soon as he checked into the game. In the second quarter, he deflected a ball reversal to Siakam, and had a great contest on his 3-point shot as the two were left on an island (the shot still went in). 

In the third, Siakam missed a 3-pointer after Scottie got clipped by Jay Huff’s screen, and Dick tried to answer back with a ballsy, dribble pull-up transition 3.

It was also a reunion for the Canadians as RJ and Nembhard went at each other. RJ’s bump against his friendly rival seemed an extra personal in the first half, when the score was still close at 55-51. Nembhard’s ball-handling masterclass also made this game worth watching.

Though the Raptors led by 16 by the start of the fourth, T.J. McConnell was a problem. IQ had a solid offensive game, but he was repeatedly burned by McConnell. In the second quarter, the latter took the ball coast-to-coast off a Raptors’ miss, turned IQ inside out with a crossover followed by a spin move. McConnell almost did the same exact thing, but, luckily, the rim blocked his shot. Perhaps, the metaphorical holes burned in IQ’s shoes is why he had to change them mid-third quarter – the kids who got them can thank T.J.’s hoop skills as much as IQ’s generosity.

But changing sneakers didn’t help as T.J. remained relentless with another nice cross and easy paint two on IQ. He continued to to be a thorn on the Raps’ side as he assisted a transition Jay Huff 3 and even had a wide-open 3-pointer to close out the third.

A series of fast break points, however, gave the Raps a 16-point boost heading into the fourth. One that allowed Dick to attempt 3s, Walter to get more reps in, and Unc Temple to get PT. The Raps closed out the game plus-15 in fast break points.

Even though the end result was lopsided, the Raps played the Pacers knowing what they were capable of. After all, the 2025 NBA Finalists sat at 10th place last December and this squad has a lot to learn from their past success.