Raptors better, but can’t bring it home, in loss to Indiana Pacers

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INDIANAPOLIS — It was the Raptors’ epitome of almost gutting out a win.

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Down two of their most important pieces, coming off a putrid effort in Oklahoma City just one night earlier, Nick Nurse and the Raptors turned to their bench vets making them starters for a night and were rewarded with a much needed competitive game, particularly after Saturday’s snorefest.

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But what they didn’t get was the win as for the second night in a row a pair of Canadians — this time Bennedict Mathurin and Oshae Brissett combined for 20 points in the second half to push the Pacers over the top.

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Toronto with strong games from O.G. Anunoby, Chris Boucher and Thaddeus Young in particular seemed to have this one in hand until Brissett, the one-time Raptor, who was surprisingly not retained, came into the game early in the fourth and started to turn things around for the Pacers.

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He finished with just eight points in his 15 minutes but they came in a hurry and changed the complexion of the game.

Mathurin, the Montreal rookie who is a very definite rookie of the year candidate, was quiet in the first half held to just two points but came alive in the second.

The two Canadians helped flip the momentum in the process and allowedveterans Myles Turner, Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield to close things out for the 118-104 win.

The Raptors now head to Detroit where the lone Canadian on the staff that can do them any harm is another former Raptor in Cory Joseph.

In Oklahoma City it was the actually a trio of Canucks — Shai Gilgeous Alexander, Lu Dort, and Eugene Omoryui who carried the night.

INDY’S CAN-CON IS HIGH

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He’s arguably been the second-best rookie in the NBA through the first 11 games and he’s Canadian.

Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin isn’t even starting for Rick Carlisle’s Pacers but coming off the bench he is averaging 20.4 points per game in 28 minutes. Only Orlando’s Paolo Banchero, who starts and plays almost seven minutes a night more than the Montreal native, Mathurin is scoring more among rookies and he’s averaging 23.5 points a night.

Mathurin was the sixth overall pick in last June’s draft, five picks after Banchero and while he has surprised a number of people around the league, Raptors’ head coach is not one of them.

“I’m not as surprised as everybody else in that he’s doing it (scoring),” Nurse said. That (pre-2019 Worlds year) he was playing on our under-18 team and we had a scrimmage with the senior men’s national team and he came in there and from the moment the ball went up, he gave us buckets. I mean bucket after bucket, and I was just like ‘this kid can really play.’

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“He already had a physical strength and an NBA athleticism to him then that you could see,” Nurse said. “So, I rate him pretty highly. I’m happy that he’s playing well and, again, has found a home and is excelling because he’s very, very good.”

Mathurin is just one of three Canadians on the Pacers. He’s not even the lone rookie, with Thornhill native Andrew Nembhard actually in Carlisle’s starting five and running the point for him, with one-time Raptor and Mississauga native Oshae Brissett coming off the bench for the Pacers.

Mathurin, though, is both the rookie and the Canadian getting all the attention in the early going among the Pacers.

WHAT WAS THAT?

Fred VanVleet was the only Raptor outside of himself that Nurse was willing to admit was dealing with some non-basketball health issues Friday night in Oklahoma City.

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VanVleet gamely played three quarters but it was obvious he wasn’t himself. And you could hear it in the coach’s voice both pre-game and post that he too was under the weather.

VanVleet, as expected, did not play Saturday night with those health issues.

Nurse admitted post-game Friday that all scenarios were on the table when it came to filling out his starting five in Indy and he did not disappoint inserting veterans Otto Porter Jr. and Thad Young into the starting five alongside regulars Scottie Barnes, Gary Trent Jr. and O.G. Anunoby.

VanVleet was the lone non-basketball related health issue to sit out, but how many more in that locker room were suffering Friday night only those inside knew, but it would explain a whole lot of the listless play in Oklahoma City.

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The energy level was noticeably lacking with just about anyone not named Chris Boucher.

Barnes made an effort to provide a spark, but even the young kid on the squad seemed to throw in the towel after three or four concerted attempts to get into the paint and finish at the rim.

It was one of those nights where nothing the Raptors tried, when they actually tried, seemed to work.

Boucher, who had a bounce-back game didn’t sound overly concerned about a potential health issue running through the locker room.

“With Fred, I know for sure he is sick,”
Boucher said. “For the other guys I think we just … some games just don’t go our way and the energy is low. We just have to find a way to be consistent with the energy. I’ll try to figure out what I can do to bring it. I think we all as a team know that we can play better.”