Mathurin, Hield lead Pacers past Raptors for 4th straight win
By Mark Ambrogi, The Associated Press on January 2, 2023.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Bennedict Mathurin scored 21 points and Buddy Hield added 19 to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 122-114 victory over the Toronto Raptors for their fourth consecutive victory Monday night. Myles Turner had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Tyrese Haliburton added 16 points and eight assists for the Pacers. T.J. McConnell scored 15 off the bench. Gary Trent Jr. scored 32 points and Pascal Siakam had 26 for Toronto. Scottie Barnes added 23. The Pacers, who shot 45 per cent from the field, had a 50-36 edge in rebounds. With the score tied 101-101 in the fourth quarter, Haliburton sank a three-pointer to put the Pacers ahead for good. Toronto used a 20-2 run in the third period to take an 83-75 lead. With the Raptors leading 83-77 with 3:25 left in the quarter, O.G. Anunoby was called for a technical foul after pushing Mathurin. Mathurin missed the technical free throw, but he scored six points, including a step-back three-pointer, the rest of the quarter to help the Pacers grab a 91-90 lead after three. Toronto led by 13 in the first quarter before settling for a 33-29 advantage after one. Trailing 47-42 with 7:26 left in the first half, the Pacers outscored the Raptors 24-10 the remainder of the half to take a 66-57 halftime lead. TIP-INS Raptors: Precious Achiuwa played his first game since injuring his right ankle Nov. 9 against Miami. Achiuwa scored three points in 12 minutes. “¦ Fred VanVleet started after missing two games with back spams. VanVleet scored nine points on 3-of-15 shooting. Pacers: Indiana is 13-7 at home. The Pacers had 31 consecutive seasons of winning home records snapped in 2021. “¦ Hield hit four 3-pointers and has made four or more in six straight games. “¦ Chris Duarte went down in pain in the fourth quarter and went to the locker room. He was holding his left ankle. He missed six weeks earlier this season with a sprained left ankle. UP NEXT Raptors: Host the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday. Pacers: Visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports 18-17
