Pacers at Raptors
The Toronto Raptors overcame injuries to Kyle Lowry and Amir Johnson last time out to strengthen their hold on top spot in the Atlantic Division. They're hoping they won't be shorthanded Friday night as they welcome the Indiana Pacers to town in a pivotal game for both teams. Toronto enters the night 2 1/2 games up on Brooklyn in the race for first place in the division, while the Pacers find themselves in a virtual dead heat with Miami for first in the conference.
The Pacers finally figured out how to score in their last game, upending the Detroit Pistons 101-94 for their first triple-digit output since defeating those same Pistons 112-104 in overtime back on March 15. Indiana has dropped five of its last seven overall while failing to score more than 80 points in all five of those defeats. A much better effort will be required to beat a Toronto team that ranks seventh in the league in points against per game at 97.6.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Indiana, Sportsnet (Toronto)
ABOUT THE PACERS (53-23): Things have been unraveling for Indiana both on and off the court - and while Wednesday's victory fixed some of the game-related issues, it took a stern chat from head coach Frank Vogel to quell rumblings of locker-room discord. The problems stemmed from a comment center Roy Hibbert made about "selfish dudes" on the team - a statement Vogel believes shouldn't have been shared. "It bothers me," Vogel told the Indianapolis Star. "Guys should never air in-house stuff to the media. I talked to the team about it (Wednesday.)"
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (43-32): Lowry missed Wednesday's 107-103 triumph over the Houston Rockets with swelling in his knee, while Johnson departed in the first quarter after injuring his ankle. Johnson is expected to play against the Pacers; Lowry is questionable, but will almost certainly try to convince the training staff he's okay. Head coach Dwane Casey told reporters he has no intention of resting either player down the stretch despite their injury woes, saying: "There's a pride factor. You want to win the division, you want to win to try to get home court."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Indiana has a 2-1 lead in the season series, with the home team prevailing each time.
2. Lowry is averaging 13.7 points and eight assists in three games against the Pacers this season.
3. Toronto is 17-22 against teams with records at or above .500, while the Pacers are 20-16.