Matchup
On the heels of one of their most complete performances of the season, the Pacers will head north to face the East-leading Toronto Raptors to cap off the second night of their final back-to-back of the year.
On Thursday, Indiana turned in a dominating 126-106 win over the defending-champion Golden State Warriors, finishing off a season sweep of the Dubs.
Unlike their road win in Golden State, the Warriors had a nearly full cast of stars, with Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green all starting. Even with the collection of All-Stars, Indiana (47-32) got an early jump on the Warriors and never let up, pulling away in the fourth as Bojan Bogdanovic continued his barrage of 3-pointers and finished with a game-best 28 points.
PLAYOFF PICTURE: Track the Pacers' Playoff Push »
But after facing one of the top teams in the West, Indiana now turns its attention to the Raptors (56-22), who are all but assured the top seed in the playoffs after beating the Celtics on Wednesday night.
Although they sport the best record in the conference, Toronto has had its struggles of late, dropping five of its last nine games.
Conversely, the Pacers are tearing through the final stretch of the season with their best basketball of the season, having captured victories in seven of their last nine games.
Despite being dealt a road-heavy schedule to close the season, the Pacers remain in contention for both the three and four seeds in the East. The two teams currently ahead of the Pacers are the Cavaliers and 76ers, who both lost their season series to Indiana, giving the Pacers an edge should they finish with identical records.
Projected Starters
Darren Collison
Victor Oladipo
Bojan Bogdanovic
Thaddeus Young
Myles Turner
Kyle Lowry
DeMar DeRozan
OG Anunoby
Serge Ibaka
Jonas Valanciunas
Pacers: PG - Darren Collison, SG - Victor Oladipo, SF - Bojan Bogdanovic, PF - Thaddeus Young, C - Myles Turner
Raptors: PG - Kyle Lowry, SG - DeMar DeRozan, SF - OG Anunoby, PF - Serge Ibaka, C - Jonas Valanciunas
Injury Report
Pacers: None
Raptors: None
Last Meeting
March 15, 2018: The Pacers ran into a red-hot Raptors team at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, falling 106-99 as Toronto picked up its 17th win in its last 18 games.
"They were big, long, physical in the paint," Pacers head coach Nate McMillan said. "All four of their bigs attacked the rim and we needed to get in there and hit first. We needed our guards to smash and they won that battle with the physicality."
During the game, the Pacers lost center Myles Turner to an ankle sprain. With Domantas Sabonis already missing, Indiana turned to Al Jefferson, who was able to provide a burst on offense, racking up a double-double.
DeMar DeRozan led all scorers with 24 points and also dished out seven assists. Both Jonas Valanciunas (16 points and 17 rebounds) and Serge Ibaka (13 points and 11 boards) recorded double-doubles for Toronto.
Noteworthy
- This is the fourth and final meeting between the two teams this season. Toronto leads the season series 2-1
- The Raptors have won eight consecutive regular season home games against Indiana
- Toronto swingman C.J. Miles played for the Pacers for three seasons from 2014-17
Tickets
Following a two-game road swing, the Pacers return to Bankers Life Fieldhouse for their final game of the regular season when they'll host the Hornets on Fan Appreciation Night! Tipoff if set for 7 PM ET Find Tickets »
Broadcast Information TV & Radio Listings »
TV: FOX Sports Indiana - Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 107.5 FM/AM 1070 The Fan - Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Pat Boylan (host)
Away Game Night Special
Headwear Sale - $12 on select gear. Game Night Specials can be purchased online the day of each away game from 10:00 AM - Midnight. Order Online »