One team will finally secure its first NBA Cup victory on Tuesday night when the Indiana Pacers visit the Toronto Raptors.
Both squads have an 0-3 record with one game left in group play of the in-season tournament.
The Raptors started a seven-game homestand with a 119-116 win over Miami on Sunday, while the Pacers have lost two straight after dropping the opener of a four-game road trip 136-121 to Memphis on Sunday.
This will be Indiana’s second visit to Toronto in two weeks, with the Raptors having won 130-119 on November 18.
Toronto’s RJ Barrett scored a season-best 39 points in that game and delivered another strong home performance on Sunday, tallying 37 points on 15-for-20 shooting.
In the seven home games Barrett has played this season, the Toronto-born guard has averaged 30.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.9 assists, shooting 54.2 percent from the field and 43.9 percent from three-point range.
Scottie Barnes came close to a second consecutive triple-double, recording 23 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists for the Raptors on Sunday.
Barrett and Barnes were solid down the stretch to help fend off the Heat, who fought back from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to close within three.
In their last meeting in Toronto, Indiana got 28 points from Bennedict Mathurin and 25 from former Raptor Pascal Siakam.
On Sunday, the Pacers led the Grizzlies 45-28 after the first quarter but were outscored 74-46 over the next two quarters. Indiana never got closer than eight points in the fourth quarter and fell to 2-9 on the road this season.
Mathurin led Indiana with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Siakam paired 17 points with six assists.
Guard Andrew Nembhard logged a season-high 14 points and four assists in 15 minutes of action in his return from a 12-game absence due to a knee injury.
Ben Sheppard (oblique) and Aaron Nesmith (ankle) did not play for Indiana on Sunday. Sheppard is expected to miss multiple weeks, while Nesmith has not played since November 1.
Gradey Dick (calf) and Immanuel Quickley (elbow) missed Sunday’s game for the Raptors. Dick is questionable for Tuesday’s game, while Quickley is expected to be out until mid-December. Kelly Olynyk (back) and Bruce Brown (knee) are progressing toward making their season debuts.
