Achi news desk-
TORONTO – Tyrese Haliburton scored 30 points with five rebounds and five assists to lead the Indiana Pacers past the Toronto Raptors 140-123 on Tuesday.
Former Raptors star Pascal Siakam received a warm welcome from fans before scoring 16 points with nine rebounds as Indiana (46-34) won its third game in a row. Myles Turner added 16 points.
RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., had 23 points as Toronto (25-54) ended its modest two-game winning streak. Kelly Olynyk of Kamloops, BC, added 22 points with five boards and four assists.
Javon Freeman-Liberty had a career-high 20 points and added eight rebounds for the Raptors. His previous best was 16 points on April 3 in a 133-85 loss at Minnesota.
It was the last home game of the season for the Raptors, who had already been eliminated from the NBA postseason.
Toronto’s final three games of the campaign will be in Brooklyn on Wednesday followed by back-to-back games in Miami on Friday and Sunday.
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“It’s been a tough season,” Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said before the game. “Everyone in this organization is working really, really hard to turn this around.
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“They are all excited about the summer and the opportunities we have ahead of us and we are really focused on improving and winning many more games in the future.”
Toronto’s first round pick in this summer’s NBA draft is still up in the air. The Raptors have the sixth-worst record in the league, but if the draft lottery on May 12 moves them to seventh or later in the selection order, the pick will automatically transfer to the San Antonio Spurs as part of last year’s trade for center Jakob Poeltl.
Toronto has a 37.2 percent chance of moving into one of the top four picks in the draft in the lottery and a nine percent chance of being picked first overall. However, the Raptors have more than a 50 percent chance of dropping to seventh or worse.
Freeman-Liberty was hot to start the game, scoring nine points as the Raptors built an early 15-4 lead. Toronto continued to roll, ending the first with a 35-25 lead as Freeman-Liberty had a season-high 14 points in the quarter.
Indiana outscored the Raptors 40-29 in the second quarter, largely thanks to a 33-12 run. Haliburton tied it with a pair of free throws, then Myles Turner drilled a 24-foot three-pointer for the Pacers’ first lead of the game and the visitors led 65-64 at the half.
Turner came alive in the third and scored 10 of his points in the quarter. That helped Indiana add to its lead, taking a 106-91 lead into the final frame.
Haliburton had 10 points, three rebounds and two assists in the fourth quarter alone as the Pacers led by as many as 18 in the final 12 minutes of the game.
DICK OUT – Toronto rookie forward Gradey Dick missed the game with a severe groin contusion. Rajakovic said before the match that Dick was being considered day by day. The 20-year-old forward addressed fans before the game at Scotiabank Arena, thanking them for supporting the Raptors through a difficult season.
UP NEXT – The Raptors head to Brooklyn to face the Nets on Wednesday.
Indiana continues its road trip with a stop in Cleveland against the Cavaliers on Friday.
This report was first published by The Canadian Press on April 9, 2024.
& copy 2024 The Canadian Press
