By Canadian Press

Siakam has 21 points, Raptors rout Indiana 127-81 for ninth straight home win

Feb 23, 2020 | 6:34 PM

TORONTO — Pascal Siakam scored 21 points while Serge Ibaka had 15 points and 15 rebounds, and the Toronto Raptors throttled the Indiana Pacers 127-81 on Sunday.

It was the Raptors’ largest margin of victory this season, marked their ninth win a row at Scotiabank Arena, and ninth victory in their last 10 outings overall.

Kyle Lowry had 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Matt Thomas finished with 17 points, Terence Davis had 13, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson chipped in with 12, and Chris Boucher hauled down 11 rebounds to go with nine points for Toronto (42-15).

Domantas Sabonis and Aaron Holiday had 14 points apiece to top the lacklustre Pacers (33-24), who were missing all-star guard Victor Oladipo (sore lower back).

The Raptors ran roughshod over the Pacers from the opening tipoff, holding the Pacers to just four baskets on a woeful 17.4 per cent shooting in the first quarter. By the time Fred VanVleet launched a running three-pointer with four seconds left in the first half, the Raptors were up by 31 points.

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The Pacers’ 32 points in the first half were a season-low for a half by an opponent.

Toronto took an 85-55 lead into the fourth, and kept their foot on the Pacers’ figurative throat, and when Hollis-Jefferson connected on a bucket with 8:19 to play, the Raptors were up by 40.

Raptors coach Nick Nurse emptied his bench for the final five minutes and the game well in hand. Back-to-back three-pointers by seldom-used sharpshooter Thomas put the Raptors up by 46 points with 2:17 to play, and had the Raptors players on the bench up and dancing in celebration.

Thomas shot 5-for-7 from long distance in just 15 minutes of action.

The Raptors shot 51.1 per cent on the night, while holding Indiana to 32.6 per cent and 24.2 per cent from three-point range. Toronto outrebounded Indiana 57-39.

The win was Toronto’s 13th in a row at home versus Indiana.

The Raptors’ easy victory came despite still missing Marc Gasol (hamstring strain) and Norman Powell (broken finger). 

The Raptors raced out to a 12-point lead before Sunday’s game was barely two minutes old, and held Indiana without a field goal until Malcolm Brogdon’s layup five minutes into the game. Siakam’s three-pointer had Toronto up by 26 points with 1:15 left in the first, and Toronto took a 34-12 lead into the second quarter.

Indiana fared slightly better in the second, pulling to within 17 points a couple of times, but VanVleet’s running three with four seconds left in the half send the Raptors into the break with a 63-32 advantage. 

The Raptors host the conference-leading Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 23, 2020.

Lori Ewing, The Canadian Press