Toronto outpaces Indiana, 122-111, behind Barnes’ career-high 35 points

Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett combined for 64 points as the Raptors close out their NBA Cup round-robin schedule.

If familiarity breeds contempt, then Scottie Barnes knows Pascal Siakam better than any of us anticipated.

The Toronto Raptors closed out the (scheduled) round-robin portion of the Emirates NBA Cup with a 122-111 victory over the visiting Indiana Pacers. Barnes punished former Raptor teammate, Siakam all night long, finishing with a career-high 35 points, to go along with 9 assists and 6 rebounds. RJ Barrett continued his hot scoring of late with 29 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers with 30 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds. Five other Pacers scored in double figures, including Bennedict Mathurin, who finished with 17 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block. According to Pacers Head Coach, Rick Carlisle, Mathurin also treated 50 local children to attend the game.

Both teams entered the game without the additional pressure of NBA Cup scoreboard-watching or worrying about point differentials. Granted, the pressure was relieved after they combined to lose all 6 round-robin games, but I digress. Toronto and Indiana had an open invitation to play looser tonight and the Raptors were the first to oblige.

The Scotiabank Arena crowd was not only treated to the best-looking court in the NBA (what petition can I sign to make the purple court a permanent fixture for the rest of the season?) but also a quick start. Toronto had a clear agenda to push the pace as Ochai Agbaji had a transition dunk, Barrett drained a transition three, and Barnes hit a pull-up three. Carlisle called his first (of many) timeouts only 3 minutes into the game as Toronto led 14-5.

The ‘familiarity breeds contempt’ quote doesn’t only apply to Barnes and Siakam. Davion Mitchell, who was teammates with Haliburton in Sacramento, appeared to be trying a bit too hard. After Toronto stretched the lead 23-12, Mitchell missed an ill-advised, early-shot-clock three in one possession, then turned the ball over on an errant jump pass on the next possession.

The Raptors continued poking holes in the Pacers defense in the 2nd quarter, scoring the first 7 points while holding Indiana scoreless for three and a half minutes, forcing a Carlisle timeout.

Whatever Carlisle said in the huddle never seemed to get through to his players. On one possession, Mitchell outleapt Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam for an offensive rebound. Coming out of another timeout, Haliburton drove the lane and had an open layup, but opted to kick it outside......all the way to the third row.

A couple more empty Pacers possessions later, combined with a downhill layup for Barnes and an easy pick-and-pop floater for Poeltl led to yet another Carlisle timeout and a 50-30 Raptors lead.

Suffice it to say, the Raptors owned the first half of the game. Leading the opposition in points in the paint (28-20) and fastbreak points (11-6) is par for the course. However, when the Raptors are even shooting the three better than their opponent (10-for-20 vs Pacers’ 4-for-11), you know it’s a dominant half for Toronto.

RJ Barrett continued to show why he has been the Raptors’ MVP so far this season, leading all scorers at the half with 16 points, including 4-for-4 at the rim. Scottie Barnes chipped in with a loud 15 points, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.

Tyrese Haliburton, who has had a rough start to his season with below-average shooting percentages, was one of the few bright spots for the Pacers. He led Indiana with 14 first-half points, shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from the field, including a pair of threes. A welcome sight for Rick Carlisle (who burned through several timeouts throughout a frustrating first half), Pacers fans, and, most importantly, my fantasy team!

The Pacers finally got their offense going midway through the third quarter. The problem was that Toronto had built a 24-point lead and answered every Pacer bucket with a bucket of their own. Barrett continued attacking the basket with reckless (yet controlled) abandon, while Barnes hit a pair of momentum-killing triples.

Indiana’s comeback received a boost when Barnes sat in the middle of the third. The Pacers scored 7 straight and had several opportunities to close the gap further. Barrett steadied the troops by drawing a foul and earning free throws, as Barnes checked back in. In the three minutes that Barnes sat, Toronto only scored 2 points.

The Pacers would get the lead down to 93-84 by the end of 3 as Haliburton and former Knicks teammate of Barrett, Obi Toppin, each drained two threes while combining for 20 third-quarter points.

Before the game, Pacers Head Coach Rick Carlisle pointed out that Toronto and Memphis, their previous opponent, are two teams that play with the quickest pace. Whether or not the Grizzlies prepared the Pacers for this game, Indiana wanted no part of another double-digit loss. When Indiana started pushing the pace midway through the third quarter, it ignited the Pacers offense and helped to (almost) erase a 24-point deficit.

The fourth quarter played out similarly to the third. Barrett scored timely buckets to keep Indiana at bay, but only until Barnes sat, which was when the Pacers would close the gap. With the deficit down to 105-97, Barnes sat with 7:41 to play. Turner hit a three and Toppin scored an and-one bucket. Haliburton had a three-point attempt that would have given Indiana its first lead of the night, but it rimmed out. Agbaji replied by hitting a corner three and re-establishing a two-possession cushion. Barnes would check back in and Toronto would close out their pesky opponents.

One final note on familiarity breeding contempt: the Raptors have anything but contempt for the Pacers. When they last faced each other, Toronto scored a season-best 58.5% from the field and 48.3% from three. Tonight, the Raptors shot 54.3% from the field — the third straight game they’ve shot 50% or better. This is the second three-game streak of 50% or better shooting. In both streaks, the Raptors lost the first game and won the next two.

Toronto matches the 1-3 record they posted in last year’s in-season tournament, while Indiana finishes winless — after making it all the way to the inaugural championship last year! The Raptors continue their season-high 7-game homestand with a visit from the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday.

At 7-15, the vibes couldn’t be higher!