Game Rewind: Pacers 99, Raptors 106

Al Jefferson turned back the clock on Thursday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, schooling defenders in the post and racking up a double-double like he did so often in the prime of his career.

But as a team, the undermanned Pacers (40-28) could not keep the East-leading Raptors off the boards, falling to Toronto, 106-99. The Raptors (51-17) outrebounded Indiana 58-35 overall and 19-11 on the offensive glass to pick up their 10th straight win and their 17th victory in their last 18 contests.

"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."

The Pacers, meanwhile, suffered another significant ankle injury. Starting center Myles Turner rolled his left ankle in the first half. He returned in the second half but reaggravated the injury and sat out down the stretch. McMillan said after the loss that Turner has a high ankle sprain.

Domantas Sabonis, Turner's backup, sprained his left ankle in Tuesday's win over Philadelphia and has been ruled out for the rest of the week.

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Toronto raced out to an early 11-4 lead. Toronto knocked down five of its first six attempts from beyond the 3-point arc and led for most of the opening quarter, but Indiana closed the frame with a 9-0 run to move in front, 27-25.

Jefferson and Lance Stephenson then led an impressive shift by the Pacers' bench in the second quarter.

The 14-year veteran big man Jefferson came up big in his place, scoring 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting and pulling down six rebounds in the first half.

"I've got to give a lot of credit to the young guys," Jefferson said. "We spent a lot of time playing four-on-four, five-on-five every day, the extra cardio that I do every day (kept me ready)."

Stephenson, meanwhile, electrified the home crowd as he usually does. In one particularly memorable sequence, Stephenson crossed up a defender, drove baseline, and threw down a monster one-handed slam over Jakob Poeltl. Then on the next possession, Stephenson drew an offensive foul and motioned to the stands, sending The Fieldhouse faithful into hysterics.

The Blue & Gold led by as many as 10 points in the second quarter. Toronto used a 7-0 run to climb back within three, but the Pacers closed the period with a 7-2 run, capped by a Darren Collison baseline jumper at the buzzer to give the hosts a 57-49 lead.

Indiana led by as many as nine points in the third quarter and took a 79-77 advantage into the fourth.

Former Pacers guard C.J. Miles gave Toronto the lead in the fourth quarter, knocking down three 3-pointers during a 12-3 Raptors run to put the visitors back in front, 93-88.

The visitors extended their lead to as many as eight points, though the Pacers mounted a final charge. Collison's 3-pointer with 25.8 seconds remaining cut the deficit to 102-99, but All-Star guard DeMar DeRozan knocked down two free throws on the other end, then came up with a steal and dunk to seal the win for Toronto.

"They made winning plays and we didn't," Pacers All-Star guard Victor Oladipo said after the loss. "They executed, they screened. They made the right play, they made hustle plays. They did the right thing — that's why they won."

Collison led the Pacers with 22 points off the bench in the loss, going 8-for-10 from the field and a perfect 3-for-3 from 3-point range. Jefferson added 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting and 12 rebounds to record his first double-double of the season.

Oladipo added 18 points and three steals, Thaddeus Young scored 13 points, and Stephenson finished with 10 for Indiana.

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.

The Pacers head to Washington on Saturday night for a critical game against the Wizards, who are now just a game back of Indiana in the Eastern Conference standings.

Jefferson's double-double was his second in two seasons with the Pacers and his first since he had 12 points and 10 rebounds in a loss at Charlotte on Nov. 7, 2016.

Indiana forced Toronto into 20 turnovers and only committed eight on Thursday. Young led the Pacers with four steals, while Oladipo's three steals extended his franchise-record streak of games with at least one steal to 52.

Valanciunas controlled the interior for the Raptors, picking up eight of his 17 rebounds on the offensive glass and blocking four shots.

Miles scored 10 points off the bench for Toronto, all of them coming in the fourth quarter.

The Pacers' bench outscored Toronto's reserves, 54-36. It was the fourth time this season Indiana's reserves scored 50 or more points.

"Since guys have returned, everybody has to be ready to play. Things happen, and Al has kept himself ready to play. He stepped in tonight, gave us some good minutes and he’ll be ready for whatever we ask him to do going forward." -McMillan

"It's just one loss. We've still got a lot of games left. It's not getting any easier though. We have to pick it up. We have to do the little things. We have to help one another out there, so we have to get back to what we’ve been doing." -Oladipo

"It's tough. We pretty much controlled that game until the fourth quarter. That's the reason why their team is number one. When things got tight they stayed together, they kept doing what they were doing and pulled the game out." -Jefferson

"The guys are grinders. You have to believe in them. They are tough, play with grit, play together. They were getting on each other, but they were taking it in the right way, nobody was sensitive. That’s where we have to perform every night." -Raptors head coach Dwane Casey

"Getting the win against what is a really good team makes it even more fun. The biggest thing is for us to come in here and figure out the game. Indiana is a great talented team, and they pushed us." -Miles

The Pacers were -23 on the glass on Thursday, their widest margin on the boards in any game this season. Toronto, meanwhile, set a new season high with 58 rebounds.

The Pacers visit Washington to take on Bradley Beal and the Wizards on Saturday, March 15 at 7:00 PM ET.

The Pacers return to Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Monday, March 19 to host Lonzo Ball and the Los Angeles Lakers at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets »