Doors to Bankers Life Fieldhouse open at 6 PM
Editor's Note: The Delaware St. entrance to the Virginia Ave. Parking Garage is longer in operation due to the construction of the St. Vincent Center. To enter the Virginia Ave. Parking Garage, please use to the entrance located at the intersection of E Maryland St. and S Alabama St.
In addition, the southbound lane of Delaware Street from Maryland to just south of the train bridge will be closed for the duration of the construction project.
Matchup
As hard as it is to realize during the sting of defeat, the Pacers are in good shape.
After wresting Game 1 of the series from the Toronto Raptors, the Pacers were dealt a humbling 98-87 loss on Monday night, evening things up at one game apiece. But the Pacers now own homecourt advantage.
PLAYOFF CENTRAL: See more from the 2016 Playoffs at Pacers.com/Playoffs »
On top of that, the play of Paul George has forced the Raptors to flinch, making a change to their starting lineup that wasn't announced until 45 minutes prior to tipoff.
The substitution was to place DeMarre Carroll at small forward and bring rookie Norman Powell off the bench, with the idea that Carroll could be George's primary defender, leaving DeMar DeRozan free to concentrate on offense.
The experiment only lasted a few minutes, however, as Carroll became entangled in foul trouble.
But although that substitution never ended up being a factor, the Pacers' biggest problem from Game 1 remained a theme: the monstrous play of Jonas Valanciunas, who followed up his Playoff career-high in rebounds (19) on Saturday with his Playoff career-high in points (23) on Monday.
GAME 3 GOLD OUT: All Fans Receive A Pacers T-Shirt »
On Saturday, Indiana won despite getting outrebounded by 16. On Monday, the Blue & Gold was beat on the glass to the tune of 44-33.
Unless they starting hitting an obscene amount of shots, the rebounding disparity cannot remain a trend for the Pacers if they wish to complete the seven-over-two upset.
Now for the good news.
The Raptors' two most integral players, DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, have both struggled mightily to find the cylinder — due much in part to the individual defense of PG and George Hill.
Toronto's normally dynamic duo has shot just 17-of-63 (27 percent) from the field through the first two games of the series; not exactly a recipe for success.
"I'm upset about this one," Paul George said after Game 2. "You usually feel good walking away from a road trip with the series tied at one, but I'm upset about this one because a lot of stuff that we gave up tonight was preventable."
While it may be true that the Pacers could've snagged Monday's game as well had things broken right, the 1-1 split with George averaging 30.5 points leaves plenty to feel good about.
And those preventable things George alluded to? The Pacers will have their chance to fix them on their home floor on Thursday night.
Projected Starters
George Hill
Monta Ellis
Paul George
Lavoy Allen
Ian Mahinmi
Kyle Lowry
DeMar DeRozan
DeMarre Carroll
Luis Scola
Jonas Valanciunas
Pacers: PG - George Hill, SG - Monta Ellis, SF - Paul George, PF - Lavoy Allen, C - Ian Mahinmi
Raptors: PG - Kyle Lowry, SG - DeMar DeRozan, SF - DeMarre Carroll, PF - Luis Scola, C - Jonas Valanciunas
Injury Report
Pacers: Ian Mahinmi - questionable (lower back sprain)
Raptors: Terrence Ross - questionable (headache)
Last Meeting
April 18, 2016: For the second game in a row, Raptors center (or centre, as they say in Canada) Jonas Valanciunas was a handful.
On Monday, Valanciunas erupted for 23 points, his Playoff career-high and the most points on the team during the Raptors' 98-87 victory.
GALLERY: Pacers Drop Game 2 »
After falling behind by as much as 18, the Pacers clawed back into the game with a 15-2 run in the second quarter and at one point in the third winnowed their deficit to just four.
But the Raptors' bench was in the zone, led by the active play of Patrick Patterson (14 points) and Cory Joseph (16 points, three assists).
With three minutes left, Pacers head coach Frank Vogel brought in the reserves, signaling the end of the game as the Pacers left Toronto with a 1-1 split in the series.
Noteworthy
- Outside of Myles Turner, the Pacers' bench went 8-of-25 from the field
- Paul George had another splendid offensive performance, this time scoring 28 points on 8-of-15 shooting, while knocking down 10-of-11 free throws
- The Pacers only had 13 assists as a team, their lowest total since a win over the Lakers on February 8th
- Paul George and Monta Ellis were the only Pacers players that scored in double-figures on Monday, scoring 28 and 15 respectively
Broadcast Information TV & Radio Listings »
TV: Fox Sports Indiana - Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
NBA TV - Kevin Calabro (play-by-play), Grant Hill (analyst), Kevin Ray (sideline reporter)
Radio: 93.5 FM/AM 1070 The Fan - Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Bobby "Slick" Leonard (analyst), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host)
Please Note: Inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Pacers radio broadcasts can be heard on 1080 AM instead of 1070.
Tickets
The Pacers will be back in Indiana for Game 3 and Game 4. Secure your seats now: Thursday, April 21 » Saturday, April 23 »
Home Court Gift Shop Game Night Special
Select Playoff Tee - $13. Game Night Specials can be purchased in the Home Court Gift Shop or any of our souvenir stands located on all levels of Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The special is also available online at PacersGear.com until midnight.