Who's Playing
Matchup: Toronto Raptors vs. Indiana Pacers
Records: Raptors (36-13); Pacers (31-15)
Where To Watch
Tip-off: 7:00 p.m.
TV: TSN & RDS2
Radio: TSN 1050
Location: Bankers Life Field House, Indianapolis, IN
Game Preview
The Raptors will play their third and final game this season against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday and they’ll once again be without Kawhi Leonard.
Leonard will now have missed 14 games on the season and four straight since last appearing the Raptors’ loss to the Celtics a week ago.
MORE: How Kawhi Leonard's missed games impacts his candidacy for MVP, other awards
Jonas Valanciunas (thumb) and O.G. Annunoby (personal) are also out.
Against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, the Raptors rolled thanks to a balanced attack on offence as six Raptors scored in double figures led by Fred VanVleet and Kyle Lowry who both put up 19 points in the win.
C.J. Miles finished the night with 15 points shooting 4-for-5 from three-point range and is finally starting to look like the player Toronto had hoped he’d be for them this season.
Three-point shooting and floor spacing have been a point of contention with the Raptors this year. Toronto currently sits 22nd in the league in three-point percentage (34.5%) the lowest amongst the top four teams in the East.
While this has caused some consternation among fans with the trade deadline just a few weeks away, Miles served up a reminder that he's a more-than-capable in-house option for helping the Raptors shore up their shooting from beyond the arc.
The Pacers look to avoid the season sweep and enter as one of the hottest teams in the league, having won seven of their previous 10 games.
They’ll finally get a chance at the Raptors at home where they hold a 17-6 record as both of the two losses earlier this season came in Toronto.
While he still will and should get All-Star consideration, Victor Oladipo just hasn’t looked like the same player that lit the league on fire last season. In 19 games post-injury, Oladipo is averaging 17.3 points shooting 40% from the field.
His defence, however, is still elite and he could once again make an All-Defense push as he did a year ago.
Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner are two Pacers to watch Wednesday as both have stepped up big time this season. Sabonis could be a Sixth Man of the Year finalist with his 15.0 points, 9.6 rebounds shooting 61% from the field. Turner should be in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year with his league-leading 2.8 blocks per game.
Both have been solid contributors to the Pacers and a major reason why they are still amongst the best in the Eastern Conference.
Game Notes
This marks the fifth consecutive year Toronto has won the season series against Indiana.
The Raptors have swept the series twice in franchise history (2014-15 and 2000-01).
Toronto is 5-3 this season against the top-4 teams in the East (Milwaukee, Indiana, Philadelphia).
The Raptors will finish all three season-series by Feb. 5.
Toronto improved to an NBA-best 8-1 on the second night of back-to-backs with a 111-109 victory Jan. 17 vs. Phoenix.
The Raptors have three more scheduled back-to-backs remaining, the fewest for any NBA team.
After tonight’s game at Indiana, the Raptors do not face another back-to-back until Mar. 10-11 – a span of 45 days.
Former Pacer C.J. Miles is averaging 13.7 points and shooting .562 (9-for-16) from three-point range over the last three games (Jan. 17-22). The last time Miles had four straight games with 10+ points was Mar. 11-18, 2018 as part of a five-game streak.
Last Time They Played
Date: Jan. 6, 2019
Score: Raptors 121, Pacers 105
Raptors: Norman Powell — 23 points, 3-for-3 from three-point range
Pacers: Bojan Bogdanovic — 21 points, nine rebounds, two steals