RJ Barrett exploded for a season-best 39 points. In comparison, Jakob Poeltl posted a dominant double-double with 30 points and 15 rebounds as the Toronto Raptors ended their seven-game losing streak with a 130-119 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night.
Entering the game with the NBA’s worst record at 2-12, Toronto secured its first win since a Nov. 2 overtime victory against Sacramento.
Barrett shot 13-for-21 from the field, including 4-for-8 from deep, and converted 9-of-12 free throws. He also contributed nine rebounds.
Gradey Dick added 15 points for the Raptors, while Ochai Agbaji and Davion Mitchell each finished with 11. All five Toronto starters reached double figures in scoring.
Benedict Mathurin scored 17 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, while Pascal Siakam tallied 25 points and 10 rebounds against his former team, but Indiana dropped its third game in four outings.
Obi Toppin added 19 points, including nine in the final period, while Tyrese Haliburton finished with 16. T.J. McConnell chipped in 10.
Indiana played without center Myles Turner, who was sidelined with a sore right calf after scoring a season-high 34 points in Sunday’s win over Miami.
Takeaways
Pacers: Haliburton struggled from the floor, shooting just 5-for-18, marking the fourth time he has missed at least nine field goal attempts in six games. He also went 2-for-9 from three-point range.
Raptors: Toronto remains winless on the road but has won all three of its games at home this season.
Key Moment
With Indiana closing the gap to 106-99 on a Mathurin layup with 6:47 left, Toronto responded out of a timeout with five quick points, including three from Barrett, to push the lead back to double digits.
Key Stat
Despite turning the ball over 23 times, leading to 24 Indiana points, Toronto still managed to secure the victory. Ten of those turnovers came in the third quarter alone.
Up Next
Indiana heads to Houston to face the Rockets on Wednesday, while Toronto stays home to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday.
