Scottie Barnes helps Raptors get by Pacers despite dominant Sabonis

2021-10-31 02:24
Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Credit Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Rookie Scottie Barnes collected 21 points and 12 rebounds to lift the visiting Toronto Raptors (4-3) to a 97-94 (22-25, 24-22, 21-18, 30-28) victory over the Indiana Pacers (1-6) on Saturday in Indianapolis.

Svi Mykhailiuk scored 16 points off the bench and Fred VanVleet also had 16 for the Raptors, who have won three in a row. VanVleet had 26 points and a career-high 10 rebounds in a 118-100 victory over the Pacers on Wednesday in Toronto.

Domantas Sabonis recorded 22 points and 14 rebounds after being limited to nine points on four shots in the previous meeting with the Raptors.

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Justin Holiday had 16 points off the bench and Caris LeVert added 15 in the first half in his season debut after sitting out Indiana's first six games while recovering from a stress fracture in his back. LeVert, who made 6 of 10 shots in 16 minutes, did not return to the game in the second half.

Rookie Chris Duarte finished with 12 points despite nursing a sore left knee for the Pacers, who have lost four in a row.

Indiana's Malcolm Brogdon sat out his second straight game with a left hamstring injury.

Barnes' layup gave Toronto a 94-86 lead with 1:06 to play before Indiana made a spirited surge to trim the deficit. Holiday and Sabonis each made a 3-pointer as part of an 8-1 run before Barnes sank a pair of layups with 6.2 seconds left. Sabonis was off the mark on a last-second 3-point shot.

Barnes scored seven of his team's first 12 points in the fourth quarter to stake Toronto to a 79-74 lead. Indiana trimmed its deficit to one before Gary Trent Jr. sank a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions to push the Raptors' advantage to 87-81 with 3:23 to play.

LeVert started out fast by scoring nine of his team's first 13 points to stake Indiana to an early lead. The two clubs didn't separate themselves by much before the Pacers carried a 47-46 lead into halftime.

Nate Bjorkgren, now a coaching consultant with the Raptors, returned to The Fieldhouse for the first time since he was fired as the Pacers coach in the summer.

Raptors: Scottie Barnes 21 (12 REB), Fred VanVleet 16, Svi Mykhailiuk 16, OG Anunoby 15, Gary Trent Jr. 8.

Pacers: Domantas Sabonis 22 (14 REB), Justin Holiday 16, Caris LeVert 15, Chris Duarte 12, Jeremy Lamb 11, Myles Turner 10 (11 REB).

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