Indiana Pacers vs Toronto Raptors: Match Preview and Predictions - 23rd February 2020
Match details
Fixture: Indiana Pacers vs Toronto Raptors
Date & Time: Sunday, 23 February 2020 (6:00 PM ET)
Venue: Scotia Bank Arena, Toronto, Canada
Last game results
Indiana Pacers (33-23): 106-98 victory over the New York Knicks (Friday, 21 February 2020)
Toronto Raptors (41-15): 118-101 victory over the Phoenix Suns (Friday, 21 February 2020)
Indiana Pacers Preview
The Indiana Pacers find themselves sixth overall in the Eastern Conference. Victor Oladipo has returned to the lineup after a gruesome injury a year ago, and has managed to play in eight games. However, he left Friday night' s game against the New York Knicks with back trouble and is listed as doubtful today. Oladipo's health is key if the Pacers are to have any playoff success.
Friday night, the Pacers beat the Knicks 106-98. The victory was sparked by 27 points from T.J. Warren, and a double-double by Domantas Sabonis with 24 points and 13 rebounds.
Key Player: T.J. Warren
A first-round pick by the Phoenix Suns back in 2014, T.J. Warren is now in his sixth NBA season - and first with the Indiana Pacers. Warren leads the Pacers' scoring with 18.7 points per game. He has been an efficient scorer too, connecting on 52.9 percent of his shots.
Pacers predicted lineup
Malcolm Brogdon, Jeremy Lamb, Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner, T.J. Warren
Toronto Raptors Preview
The Toronto Raptors, with 26 games left to play this season, are probably assured of a fifth consecutive 50-plus win regular season. As they prepare to face Indiana on Sunday, they have three key players injured but listed as day to day in Marc Gasol, Norman Powell and Patrick McCaw.
The reigning NBA Champions are second in the Eastern Conference and poised to be a major factor in the 2020 NBA playoff race.
Friday night, the Raptors knocked off the Phoenix Suns 118-101. They were led by Pascal Siakam' s double-double of 37 points and 12 rebounds, while point guard Kyle Lowry scored 13 points with 10 assists. Rookie Terence Davis scored 14 points off of the bench.
Key Player: Pascal Siakam
The 2019 NBA's Most Improved Player has advanced his game to a higher level in 2020, becoming an NBA All-Star for the first time. Pascal Siakam is poised to repeat as the Most Improved Player of the year in 2020.
Siakam leads Toronto with a scoring average of 23.8 points per game and is second on the team in rebounding with a per-game average of 7.6.
Raptors predicted lineup
Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Serge Ibaka, Pascal Siakam
Pacers vs Raptors Match Prediction
Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo could miss this contest with a back injury suffered Friday night against the Knicks. He has only played in eight games since his return to the lineup.
The Pacers have a 14-13 record playing on the road this season and are on a two-game winning streak.
The last time these two teams met was on 7 February 2020, and Toronto had six players score in double-figures to secure a 115-106 victory. Two days prior, Toronto also beat Indiana 119-118 in Toronto. Indiana lead the all-time series in this Eastern Conference rivalry 49-42.
The Toronto Raptors cannot take Indiana lightly on Sunday night and have two tough contests coming up against Milwaukee and Denver this week. Indiana should keep this game close, but expect a victory for the Toronto Raptors.
Where to watch Pacers vs Raptors?
You can stream the game live online with NBA League Pass. The game can be watched on TV on Fox Sports-Indiana and Sportsnet 1.