Indiana

Indiana Pacers Overcome Slow Start to Beat Toronto Raptors 140-123

Published

2 years ago

April 10, 2024

Indiana Pacers Overcome Slow Start to Beat Toronto Raptors 140-123

Source: Cole Burston / Getty

(TORONTO, ON) – The Indiana Pacers (46-34) overcome early twelve-point deficit against the Toronto Raptors (25-54) in 140-123 win. Obi Toppin and T.J. McConnell combine to score 40 points off the bench to give Indiana its third straight win.

1. First Quarter

Source:Getty

Indiana has been known to follow up a good with a dud performance against a below average team. Tonight’s game started as if it was going to be another one of those frustrating losses. Toronto jumped ahead 13-2 in just over three minutes. Their main source of offense during that time was rookie Javon Freeman-Liberty with seven of those points. It took Indiana some time, but they were able to trim Toronto’s advantage to five off a Doug McDermott three. Toronto responded with a 11-2 run to go back up by a dozen before an Isiaah Jackson layup to end the quarter. Indiana trailed 35-25 after twelve minutes. Freeman-Liberty led all scorers with 14 points. Indiana’s leading scorer was Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton with 6 points.

2. Second Quarter

Source:Getty

After the slow start, Indiana responded with a forty-point second quarter. The second period started with Indiana’s bench keeping the deficit between six and eight points. Once the starters resurfaced with six minutes left in the half, it was all Pacers. With 6:07 left, it was 49-41 Toronto. Haliburton made it a two-possession game after RJ Barrett was issued a technical foul with 3:56 left, making it 53-49. Toronto pushed its lead back to six points on a Barrett layup. Indiana went on a 14-5 burst to take a 65-62 advantage off a Haliburton step back two-point shot. Bruce Brown scored on the final possession of the first half. Indiana led 65-64 over Toronto. Haliburton’s nine second quarter points put him a point behind Freeman-Liberty’s 16 points for the game leader. T.J. McConnell and Siakam were in double digits for Indiana at halftime.

3. Third Quarter

Source:Getty

Indiana’s hot shooting in the second quarter would not stop in the third. The Pacers were able to score one more point than they did in the second quarter to take command of the contest. It took the team just over two minutes to go ahead by six points after an Andrew Nembhard two-pointer that led to a Toronto timeout. The Raptors cut the Pacers lead down to four after two free throws from Kelly Olynyk. Indiana went on a 10-2 run to finally crack a double-digit lead with 7:30 left in the quarter after a Siakam layup. Indiana got five points and a block from Myles Turner during that stretch. He’d later put the team ahead a game high thirteen points and then would top that later with a layup to go up 94-79 with 5:01 left in the quarter. Obi Toppin has been such an important piece to the success for Indiana the last five games and put the Pacers ahead by a quarter high 17 points after a three-pointer. The lead for Indiana after three quarters was 106-91. Turner scored a team high 13 points, but it was Olynyk with a quarter high 13 points. He led all scorers with 22 points followed by Haliburton with 20 points.

4. Fourth Quarter

Source:Getty

Once Indiana went ahead by double figures, it just felt like the Pacers were in control of the game because the Raptors didn’t make any major runs. After a Jordan Nwora three, Rick Carlisle called a timeout because it cut Indiana’s lead to twelve points with 10:08 left in the game. His team responded with McConnell putting the Pacers ahead by a game high eighteen points for the first of five occasions. Toppin put Indiana ahead twice with dunks and Haliburton did it twice with a three and a layup. With two minutes left, the Pacers were able to empty their bench and put the reserves in with a seventeen-point lead. After forty-eight minutes of basketball, Indiana was on top 140-123.

5. Top Performers

Source:Getty

Tyrese Haliburton (30p, 5r, 5a), Obi Toppin (23p, 6r), T.J. McConnell (17p, 7a), Pascal Siakam (16p, 9r, 3a), Myles Turner (16p), and Ben Sheppard (11p). For Toronto, RJ Barrett (23p, 4r, 4a), Kelly Olynyk (22p, 5r, 4a), Javon Freeman-Liberty (20p, 8r), Gary Trent Jr. (16p, 4a, 4s, 3r), Bruce Brown (16p, 5a, 3r), and Jordan Nwora (11p). For tonight’s full box score, click here.

6. Notes

Source:Getty

Indiana has now won three consecutive and eight of the last eleven games
Indiana is 21-3 when scoring 130+ points
Road team won all four contests in the series
Tyrese Haliburton’s 30 points are the most he’s scored in a game since scoring 31 points vs Milwaukee on 1/3/24
- Haliburton scored 30+ points for the 9th time of the season
Obi Toppin’s 23 points are the most he’s scored in a game since scoring 23 points vs Phoenix on 1/26/24
- Toppin has scored 13+ points in five straight
  - This month (5 games) – 15.8 ppg, 5.8 reb, 1.8 apg | FG – 65% | 3pt – 47.8%
- Indiana is 14-4 when Toppin scores 15+ points
T.J. McConnell has scored 15+ points in five straight games
- Indiana is 12-5 when McConnell scores 15+ points this season
Indiana 6th in the Eastern Conference Standings – 2 games left (at Cleveland & vs Atlanta)
- Have 1 game lead over Philadelphia 76ers – 2 games left (vs Orlando & vs Brooklyn)
  - Indiana has tiebreaker over Philadelphia
- Have 1.5 game lead over Miami Heat – 3 games left (vs Dallas & vs Toronto twice)
  - Indiana has tiebreaker over Miami
- Trail Cleveland Cavaliers by .5 game – 3 games left (vs Memphis, vs Indiana, vs Charlotte)
  - Indiana can own tiebreaker with win on Friday (would tie series with Cleveland win)
- Trail Orlando Magic by .5 game – 3 games left (at Milwaukee, at Philadelphia, vs Milwaukee)
  - Orlando has tiebreaker over Indiana
- Trail New York Knicks by 1.5 games – 3 games left (at Boston, vs Brooklyn, vs Chicago)

7. Next Up

Source:Getty

The Indiana Pacers will have two days off before a critical road game on Friday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. A win will guarantee Indiana a top-six seed and the head-to-head tiebreaker over Cleveland. Pat Boylan will get things started with the Kroger Pregame Show at 6:30pm. Mark Boyle and Eddie Gill will have the play-by-play starting at 7pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan.

Source link

Indiana

Heavy rain soaks central Indiana, but drought relief uneven across the state

Published

51 minutes ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Heavy rain soaks central Indiana, but drought relief uneven across the state

Central Indiana has seen a very wet start to March, with several rounds of rain and storms moving through the region over the past few days. In fact, the city of Indianapolis has already received more rain in the first four days of the month than it typically gets during the entire month of March.

So far this month, Indianapolis has recorded 3.90 inches of rainfall, which already exceeds the normal March monthly average of 3.79 inches. Much of that rain came during a widespread soaking on Tuesday, when a strong system pushed steady showers and thunderstorms across the state.

Some of the highest totals over the past three days have been recorded across central Indiana. Rain gauges show 5.86 inches in Marion County, 5.02 inches in Morgan County, 4.97 inches in Hancock County, 4.95 inches in Shelby County, 4.57 inches in Johnson County, and 4.26 inches in Hendricks County. These totals represent a significant amount of rainfall in a short period of time and have left many areas with saturated ground and standing water in low spots.

Despite the widespread rainfall, the impact on drought conditions has been somewhat uneven across the state. According to the latest drought monitor, the areas that received the heaviest rain over the past few days are largely the same areas that were already in relatively good shape in terms of moisture levels. Meanwhile, parts of northern Indiana that have been dealing with more persistent dryness have seen much lighter totals.

Cities such as Kokomo, Lafayette, and Muncie have generally picked up less rain compared to areas farther south. Forecast models suggest that pattern may continue over the next several days.

Additional rainfall is expected through Thursday, with another round possible around midday Saturday. Current projections show the best chance for another inch or more of rain focusing once again across the southern half of the state, while northern Indiana may see lower totals.

That means while the recent rain has certainly helped improve soil moisture in many areas, it may not fully address the lingering dryness farther north. For now, the pattern remains active, and Hoosiers should expect more wet weather before the system finally begins to move out later this weekend.

Source link

Indiana

Watch Indiana basketball’s Lamar Wilkerson give his mom a Cadillac

Published

13 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Watch Indiana basketball’s Lamar Wilkerson give his mom a Cadillac

Indiana basketball sharpshooter Lamar Wilkerson is known for his generosity.

Upon joining the Hoosiers, he gave a tidy sum of his NIL earnings to his previous program, Sam Houston State.

“I was blessed to be able go from that, from not having a lot, to being here, having a lot more than I even knew what to do with,” Wilkerson said at the time. “I just thought, I can give them this.”

He upped the ante on IU’s Senior Night, giving his mother a Cadillac after the Hoosiers throttled Minnesota.

You could imagine her reaction.

Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar’s Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.

Source link

Indiana

Indiana basketball vs. Minnesota score, updates tonight: Start time, where to watch

Published

1 day ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Indiana basketball vs. Minnesota score, updates tonight: Start time, where to watch

The Indiana Hoosiers have lost four straight games and are scrambling to earn an NCAA Tournament berth.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers are trying to reach .500 for the season. They beat IU in a Big Ten opener in December.

Indiana (17-12, 8-10 Big Ten) has no room for air as it hosts Minnesota (14-15, 7-11). The Hoosiers have lost four in a row, leaving them on the NCAA Tournament bubble, while the Golden Gophers have won three of their last four. Minnesota beat IU in a conference opener.

We will have score updates and highlights, so remember to refresh.

What time does Indiana basketball play Minnesota tonight, March 4? Start time for Minnesota basketball vs Indiana on Wednesday, March 4, 2026

The Indiana-Minnesota game is at 6:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana.

Where to watch Indiana vs. Minnesota tonight, March 4? What channel is the Minnesota-Indiana on college basketball game today?

Watch college basketball with a free Fubo trial

Indiana vs. Minnesota predictions tonight, March 4

Zach Osterman, IndyStar: Indiana 75-69
“Indiana is on the ropes. Minnesota has nothing to lose. Gophers already beat IU once this year. So picking Minnesota here is going to be trendy. Too trendy. The Ohio State game is tougher to forecast, but the Hoosiers win here.”
Michael Niziolek, Herald-Times: Indiana 78-70
“Can Minnesota spoil IU’s Senior Night? The Gophers upended Indiana in Darian DeVries’ Big Ten debut earlier this season and have been a tough out in conference play. They are just 7-11, but six of those losses are by single digits and two of those came in overtime. The Hoosiers need to do a better job of locking down the perimeter while getting a more balanced scoring effort. Indiana should be able to pull this one out and keep its NCAA Tournament chances alive for another night.”