Raptors at Pacers
The Indiana Pacers seek their eighth victory in nine games when they host the Toronto Raptors on Monday. The recent success has helped Indiana move into seventh place in the tightly bunched Eastern Conference with the assumption that star forward Paul George (leg) will soon return to action for the first time this season. Toronto has lost 10 of its last 12 games and has slipped three games behind the second-place Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Raptors lost 113-97 to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday as their recent swoon continued. Toronto allowed 64 first-half points and Portland made 13 3-pointers as the Raptors allowed 100 points for the eighth time in nine games. Indiana has excelled over the past few weeks and had its season-long seven-game winning streak snapped in a 93-89 loss to the Boston Celtics on Saturday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sportsnet (Toronto), FSN Midwest (Indiana)
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (39-26): Shooting guard DeMar DeRozan has been performing much better than his team and has scored 20 or more points in six of the past seven games. DeRozan has averaged 25.5 points during the stretch, including efforts of 30 and 35 points, as he has single-handedly tried to keep Toronto afloat. Standout point guard Kyle Lowry has experienced some issues of late and had just 10 points on 3-of-11 shooting while being outplayed by Portland guard Damian Lillard on Sunday.
ABOUT THE PACERS (30-35): Point guard George Hill had his top performance of the season when he scored 30 points – 24 in the second half – and recorded eight assists in the loss to the Celtics. Hill is averaging 18.8 points over the last four games and has scored in double digits in nine of the last 10 games. The return of George is on the horizon and it appears Hill is set to carry the load until the former All-Star is ready.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Toronto is 2-0 against the Pacers this season and has won the past three meetings.
2. Raptors SG Lou Williams is 6-of-20 shooting over the past two games.
3. Indiana PG Donald Sloan (toe) missed the Boston game and is doubtful to play against the Raptors.