NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking points from the Toronto Raptors' win over the Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers had just undergone a heartbreaking last-second loss at the hands of an unexpected Cavaliers, and now they had to fly to play the league-best Raptors. The Pacers effort was not dampened as the game went down to the wire again, but the result carried over.
Fred Van Vleet hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 25 seconds left, and the Raptors, somehow rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat the Pacers 99-96. After winning seven straight wins, the Pacers have suddenly dropped two straight, having trouble in closing games apparently.
Toronto had dropped a couple to Trailblazers and the Nuggets coming into this one, but managed to pull this one through, much to the delight of the fans at Scotiabank Arena. This win takes their season record to an even impressive 24-9(0.727) on the season.
The Pacers were firm on the 3rd before dropping two in quick succession, and they now find themselves at the 4th spot on the East leaderboard with a 20-12 record, 3.5 games behind the leading Raptors.
Let's draw some key takeaways from this gut-wrenching Pacers loss on Raptors soil.
#1 Kawhi Leonard's clutch two-way game is scaling new heights.
Kawhi has scored 28, 29 and 28 respectively in his last three games, and is averaging almost 30 points per game in December. Along with his offensive prowess, he has made sure to keep in check his defensive abilities, finishing with four steals in this game alone.
The former Defensive Player of the year already had three steals by halftime, and also dished out six assists before the game ended. He has been putting up a strong case for his MVP bid this season, leading the Raptors to a league-best record.
For this game in particular, he finished with a double-double of 28 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 11-of-23 from the field, to lead the injury-riddled Raptors (24-9), who were playing without all-star point guard Kyle Lowry and big man Serge Ibaka.
The Claw hounded Victor Oladipo, Tyreke Evans, and anyone else on defense, foolish enough to move near him.