The Toronto Raptors have been coming close but falling short, and they aim to change that on Monday night against the visiting Indiana Pacers.
A victory would end a losing streak that reached seven games with a 126-123 overtime loss to the Boston Celtics on Saturday night, courtesy of a last-second 3-pointer by Jayson Tatum.
The Raptors will face former teammate Pascal Siakam, who was traded to the Pacers on January 17.
Siakam scored 23 points on 9-for-11 shooting from the field on Sunday as Indiana avoided a two-game sweep by the visiting Miami Heat with a 119-110 victory. Siakam also surpassed 10,000 career points during the game.
Injury-depleted Toronto suffered its 12th loss of the season on Saturday, despite career performances by Jakob Poeltl and RJ Barrett. Barrett recorded his first career triple-double with 25 points, 15 assists, and 10 rebounds. Poeltl scored a career-high 35 points on 16-for-19 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds for his team-leading seventh double-double of the season. Toronto dominated Boston in the paint, outscoring them 76-42.
The Raptors are 1-7 in games decided by six or fewer points and hold a league-worst 2-12 overall record. Their injury list grew on Saturday when Bruno Fernando suffered a sprained right ankle, ruling him out for Monday. Key players Scottie Barnes (orbital fracture) and Immanuel Quickley (elbow) remain sidelined.
The Pacers also have injury concerns, with Aaron Nesmith (ankle) and Andrew Nembhard (knee) out, and Ben Sheppard (oblique strain) leaving Sunday’s game in the third quarter after playing 26 minutes.
Myles Turner led Indiana’s scoring on Sunday with a season-high 34 points, including five 3-pointers, and added nine rebounds. Bennedict Mathurin contributed 21 points and 12 rebounds, while Tyrese Haliburton had 16 points and 13 assists.
Indiana rebounded from a poor effort in their 124-111 loss to Miami on Friday.
