Pacers at Raptors
The Toronto Raptors lost their final game before the All-Star break to halt a franchise-record 15-game winning streak but picked things right back up in their return on Friday. The Raptors will try to make it victories in 17 of 18 when they host the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.
Toronto took a 24-point lead into the half on Friday and survived a rough third quarter and a season-high 25 turnovers as seven players scored in double figures in the 118-101 triumph over the Phoenix Suns. "Well, we're a good team, so we just continue to pick each other up," Raptors All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry told reporters. "Stay in the moment and understand that emotions are going to be high, but we're still going to find a way to win the game. That's all that really matters." The Pacers were sluggish out of the break at New York but managed to pull out a 106-98 victory despite Victor Oladipo sitting out the fourth quarter with a sore back. "I think we all felt a bit rusty," All-Star forward Domantas Sabonis told reporters. "First game after All-Star, the most important thing is to get the win. It wasn't the prettiest, but glad we got the win."
TIME: 6 p.m. ET. TV: FS Indiana, Sportsnet One
ABOUT THE PACERS (33-23): Indiana endured a six-game losing streak before beating NBA-best Milwaukee in the final game before the All-Star break and is working on putting the pieces together and closing games strong over the final 26 regular-season contests. "We just have to calm down and understand what we are trying to do, make sure that everybody is on the same page," small forward T.J. Warren, who led the team with 27 points in Friday's win, told reporters. "We just can't overreact in certain situations when they make a few shots down the stretch, we just have to calm down and play our game." Sabonis, who was held to two points in his first All-Star appearance last weekend, contributed 24 points and 13 rebounds on Friday.
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (41-15): All-Star forward Pascal Siakam led the way with 37 points on 12-of-19 shooting Friday and set the tone with 17 points in the first quarter. "For me, just being aggressive, being assertive and making sure I'm just out there and show that type of energy every single night and make sure I don't get - I don't want to say complacent because I never do, but just like knowing that you've got to go at the other player that's guarding your neck every single time you get out of the cage or something," Siakam told reporters. Toronto sits in second place in the East and needs to avoid looking ahead to a showdown with NBA-best Milwaukee on Tuesday.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Raptors C Marc Gasol (hamstring) missed his ninth straight game Friday while SG Norman Powell (finger) missed his seventh in a row, and both are expected to sit out Sunday.
2. Oladipo, who finished with eight points in 25 minutes on Friday is considered day-to-day.
3. Toronto took the last two meetings, most recently claiming a 115-106 victory at Indiana on Feb. 7.