Lowry returns, but exits early
Ejection ends off night, Nurse fumes at refs, Siakam still sidelined
Pacers 129 Raptors 114
NEXT: WEDNESDAY VS. BUCKS
It is not just on defence where teams need to be disciplined in order to win NBA games, as the Raptors showed Monday night.
Just enough impatience on offence, particularly in the first half, cost them in a 129-114 loss to the Indiana Pacers to wrap up a back-to-back road series.
A few rushed shots here, a couple of untimely turnovers there, a quick shot on too many occasions kept the Raptors from getting into any kind of rhythm as they fell to 6-10 on the season before heading to Tampa for their next three outings.
A tough night from the bench contributed to Toronto’s woes as well, and the frustration of the night ended with Kyle Low- ry being thrown out in the last minute and coach Nick Nurse also picking up a technical in the final seconds.
The Raptors were playing for the second straight game without Pascal Siakam because of some knee swelling and Indiana lost its starting centre, Domantas Sabonis, in the second quarter when he left with a bruised left knee.
As expected with teams playing for the second consecutive day, there were adjustments both ways that created an entirely different set of circumstances from the day before.
Indiana’s Malcolm Brogdon, who had only 12 points on 5for-22 shooting Sunday, had 36 points for Indiana on Monday while Jeremy Lamb finished with 22.
And Toronto’s OG Anunoby, who exploded for 30 points in Sunday’s win, got a couple of quick fouls that took him out of most of the first half and missed
a large portion of the fourth quarter getting stitches in a split lip. He finished with 10 points.
“We kicked their butts yesterday and they played like it tonight,” said Raptors guard Fred VanVleet.
Lowry returns: Lowry came back after missing two games with a toe infection and was not nearly himself. He didn’t make his first field goal – a corner three-pointer – until well into the third quarter and finished just 2-for-11 from the field. Lowry did log 33 minutes and had 12 points, moving within two of going over 10,000 points in his Toronto career. “It was a pretty late decision for him to play,” Nurse said of Lowry.
In and out: Nurse shuffled all kinds of players, trying to juice his team’s effort and fortunes. Chris Boucher had a bad first stint, and Paul Watson saw his first action in a game that was not already decided. Terence Davis was ineffective and Matt Thomas got some time, making a four-point play on his first shot of the game. Anunoby had to go to the locker room for treatment in the fourth quarter and DeAndre’ Bembry got some playing time. The only two active players who didn’t get in the game were rookies Malachi Flynn and Jalen Harris.
Drawing the line: The freethrow shooting disparity — the Pacers took 45 foul shots, the Raptors 27 — was one thing, but it was the timing of a few other calls that irked Nurse the most. While lamenting the whistles, a call on a key scramble for a loose ball had him most angry.
“There was a time when it was about an even game, or twopoint game, and Chris (Boucher) dove on the floor for a ball, and I … got up and called timeout while he had it and the referee just completely ignored it,” he said. “And then they ended up getting the ball back, getting free throws, then getting a rebounding foul, then getting more free throws.”