Tyrese Haliburton delivered a stellar performance with 33 points and 11 assists to lead the Indiana Pacers past the Toronto Raptors 111-91 on Wednesday night.
Haliburton was nearly unstoppable, shooting 12-of-15 from the field and 7-of-9 from beyond the arc. Myles Turner added 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Pascal Siakam contributed 15 points against his former team.
Indiana improved to 33-24, maintaining its hold on fourth place in the Eastern Conference. Toronto, sitting at 18-41, struggled offensively in the absence of Scottie Barnes, who missed the game due to a left hip contusion.
The Pacers built an early lead behind Haliburton’s efficient shooting, taking a 51-41 advantage into halftime. He had 17 points in the first half and continued to dictate the offense after the break.
Toronto’s Immanuel Quickley led his team with 18 points, while RJ Barrett and Jonathan Mogbo each finished with 16. The Raptors, however, could not keep up with Indiana’s perimeter shooting, making just six three-pointers on 27 attempts.
Jakob Poeltl returned to action after a right hip injury kept him out since February 4. He finished with 10 points and five rebounds in 24 minutes.
Indiana took full control in the third quarter, outscoring Toronto 30-23 and extending the lead to 17 heading into the final period. The Pacers’ defense limited the Raptors to 42.5% shooting and forced 18 turnovers.
The Raptors’ bench provided little offensive support, with Jamal Shead going scoreless in 19 minutes while committing seven turnovers. Toronto’s struggles from deep, coupled with Indiana’s hot shooting, proved to be the difference.
Indiana played without T.J. McConnell, who missed his second consecutive game due to a sprained right ankle. With Andrew Nembhard in foul trouble, rookie RayJ Dennis saw minutes late in the game.
The Pacers finished 15-of-36 from beyond the arc, compared to Toronto’s 6-of-27 performance from deep. Their efficiency helped them close out the game with back-to-back 30-point quarters in the second half.
