Raptors at Pacers
The Toronto Raptors look to string together three straight wins for the first time since mid-December when they hit the road to face the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday. The Raptors are coming off two consecutive victories - including a hard-fought 114-110 triumph over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday - after losing eight of their previous 11 in their worst stretch of the season. Toronto's last five games have been decided by six points or less as it hopes to beat the Pacers for the third consecutive time.
Indiana had lost seven in a row - including back-to-back setbacks to the lowly Philadelphia 76ers and Minnesota Timberwolves - before snapping its skid with a 106-99 win over the Orlando Magic on Sunday. The Pacers return home for five straight after finishing 1-6 on their recent road trip where they were held to less than 100 points in all but one game. Indiana has fared little better at home, losing two straight and three of its last five, but has beaten the Raptors twice in a row at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TSN2 (Toronto), FSN Indiana
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (29-15): DeMar DeRozan broke out of a slump by pouring in 25 points on an 8-of-14 effort from the field in the win over the Pistons after being limited to 14 points on 6-of-34 shooting in his previous three games. "It felt good as I just wanted to go out there and be aggressive," DeRozan told reporters. "Every single day I'm feeling more comfortable and better." Jonas Valanciunas added 20 points and 11 rebounds versus the Pistons for his third double-double in his last four outings.
ABOUT THE PACERS (16-30): Damjan Rudez scored 16 of his career-high 18 points in the fourth quarter while George Hill added 17 points off the bench in his second game back after missing the previous 11 with a groin injury. "We are a way better team than our record shows and we just have to turn things around," Rudez told reporters. "Let's just hope this victory will help us get rolling now and we aren't going to stop." C.J. Miles was inactive due to a groin injury and is questionable for Tuesday.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Raptors are 20-8 against Eastern Conference opponents while the Pacers are 10-15.
2. Toronto is 19-4 against teams with a current losing record.
3. Hill has scored in double figures in all seven games he's played in this season.