The Indiana Pacers overcame a slow start to beat the Toronto Raptors on the road

The Indiana Pacers begin the final week of the 2023-24 season with a game at Toronto on Tuesday night. The Pacers have struggled with the Raptors this season and were hoping to even the season series.

Toronto entered the night, but they had won their last two games. Their form has improved recently, so despite the huge difference in winning percentage between the two teams, this game would not be easy for Indiana.

In the past, this has become a reality. Javon Freeman-Liberty scored early and often — he had seven points in the first few possessions and it forced a Pacers timeout. At the time, it was the 9-2 Raptors. Indiana didn't seem to pay attention.

It continued after the break. The Raptors jumped out to a 13-2 lead in the first few minutes of the game as the Pacers went 1-of-5 from the field with four turnovers. It's been a disappointing start for the playoff-threatened blue and gold.

It took a while for the Pacers to take the lead, but they found some success midway through the first quarter. A short spurt helped cut the Raptors' lead to 17-9, and the blue and gold traded at that point. Their bench has been excellent this season and has been able to get the Pacers back into the game.

That second half continued to cut into the Raptors' lead thanks to consecutive corner threes by TJ McConnell and Doug McDermott. At that point it was 20-15 in favor of the home team, but Indiana went on a 10-3 run. They had to hold him back.

For a while, the Pacers kept the score close. But the Raptors rallied late in the first quarter to go up by nine at 32-23 with 1:37 left in the period. Toronto's efforts on the glass were stifled.

Freeman-Liberty continued to roll and led by 14 points by the end of the frame. The Raptors finished the period on an 11-4 run and led 35-25 after 12 minutes. The Pacers continued to beat themselves — they committed six turnovers and were grinding on the glass.

The second quarter opened with back-and-forth play. The two teams traded buckets, and the Pacers were slightly better thanks to their outside shots. A few possessions later in the period, they cut the lead to seven.

Indiana's defense just wasn't good enough to keep them in the game. While the Pacers' bench players played well offensively, they barely got into the lead. The Pacers kept getting breaks on the less-than-pretty end of the floor, which hindered their comeback.

Near the middle of the frame, the Pacers cut the Raptors' lead to five after a difficult and one-time layup by Aaron Nesmith. Indiana's starters are back in the game and hoping to start a run after their slow start.

This revealed five understood what it took to succeed. They scored easily and got enough stops, and Andrew Nembhad hit a three-pointer with two minutes left in the second period that cut Toronto's lead to one. The Pacers battled hard and finally got the effort level they needed from both ends.

Indiana took the lead for the first time in the second quarter of the game, and they held it until halftime. After being down by a dozen points in the first quarter, the Pacers led 65-64 at the time. Star guard Tyrese Haliburton scored 15 points.

The second half began with the Pacers maintaining their lead for the first few minutes, but they fouled out several times in the stretch. They had to be solid defensively or Toronto was going to live at the foul line in the third period.

Indiana scored well early in the half, but they led 71-65 after just a few minutes of play. That led to a timeout for the Raptors – who struggled to get stops against the blue and gold's front five.

The Pacers remained the better team for the next few minutes. Their defense looked effective aside from some lapses against Kelly Olynyk and their offense was shaky. A dunk from Haliburton with 7:48 left in the third frame put the blue and gold up 10.

Their lead increased to 13 minutes later. In the end, the Pacers looked like the Pacers, and a terrible start was in the rearview mirror. They just had to get on with it – their margin for error is zero for the rest of this season.

They did a good job of pushing until the end of the period. Their lead grew to 14, then 15, then 14 again in the next few minutes. Toronto's defense collapsed thanks to Indiana's paint pressure.

The Pacers led 106-91 at the end of the third quarter. Their offense came in the final 25 minutes – they scored 40 points in the second and third frames. Tyrese Haliburton had 20 points.

The final period started with the Pacers up by 17, but the Raptors responded and cut it to 12 a few plays later. Indiana then took a timeout. They looked a little sloppy to start the final quarter.

The stop was perfect for Indiana, who scored the next six points after halftime. Their offense was much better than at any point in the first quarter, and the Raptors had no answers. Back then, Indiana's bench was doing it.

The Raptors defense continued to struggle. Haliburton checked the visitors and immediately buried three, then Obi Toppin threw down two impressive dunks in a row. The Pacers had fun and they led by 18 with 6:37 left.

With three minutes remaining, this advantage was still 15. Indiana was very close to ending the game and needed a few more successful possessions. They were up by 17 with 1:55 left.

Indiana brought in some deep reserves in the final minutes to clear the bench. They ran towards the horn. The Pacers beat the Raptors 140-123 to improve to 46-34. It was an important victory.

Haliburton finished with 30 points and five assists. Toppin added 23 points and McConnell had 17 points. It was a balanced attack by the blue and gold.

They play next Friday when they take on the Cavaliers in Cleveland.

• Tyrese Haliburton set the Indiana Pacers franchise single-season assist record on a night the Pacers needed. CLICK HERE.
• The Pacers needed to come out clutch and win against the Miami Heat to keep their playoff hopes alive. They did it.
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• Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle passed Red Auerbach for 12th place in all-time NBA coaching wins. CLICK HERE.
• The Indiana Pacers survived a close game to beat the Miami Heat. CLICK HERE.
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