Indiana Pacers miss game-winning chance at buzzer and fall to Toronto Raptors at home

Toronto was in Indiana on Wednesday

The Indiana Pacers hosted the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night for an early season Eastern Conference battle between two teams near the middle of the conference.

The Raptors have size, and that has been a problem for Indiana this season. But stylistically, these teams are very different. If Indiana could impose their pace early, they would have a chance to overcome their size disadvantage.

For the first two minutes, the Pacers were the significantly better team. They led 10-2 after just a few possessions, and that led to a Raptors timeout. They needed to regroup and figure out how they were going to slow down the blue and gold's offense.

The stoppage helped Toronto on offense, but it didn't slow down the Pacers. After five minutes, they led by 12 and had already scored 22 points. The blue and gold were playing exactly how they want to every night.

Substitutions came in for both teams not long after, and that slowed the game down. That speed favored the Raptors, but their halfcourt offense still struggled to put the ball in the basket. With four minutes to go in the first quarter, Indiana led 25-19.

Indiana's new-look bench, which was without Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith, was struggling to score at the end of the opening frame. But when Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield came in for the final moments, the Pacers went on a mini run. They led 35-27 after one quarter, and Hield already had 11 points.

The second quarter opened up with a strong Raptors stretch. They scored eight points (all by Malachi Flynn) in under 90 seconds to start the frame, and they cut the lead all the way down to two. The Pacers needed a break to talk things over.

They couldn't get out of the mud offensively, even after the stoppage. The Raptors took a 45-42 lead not long after, their largest lead of the game to that point. Indiana responded with five quick points, but it was clear that the game was going to be a tough one for the blue and gold.

Pascal Siakam was giving the Pacers trouble in the lane often throughout the first half, and he got going late in the second quarter. Toronto, in general, found an offensive groove at that time. The blue and gold didn't have an answer.

At halftime, the Raptors were ahead 68-65. A few important buckets from Hield and Myles Turner closed the gap just before the break. Siakam and Hield were the top scorers for their teams at halftime — they each had 19 points.

The third quarter began with more back-and-forth play. Indiana tied the game, but the Raptors answered. The Pacers took a lead a few moments later, but Toronto scored immediately after. Somebody was going to have to get stops to create separation.

Indiana was the first group to make some defensive plays. They slowed down the road team for a few possessions in a row and were able to take a six-point lead with six minutes to go in the third quarter. They hit a stride on the less glamorous end of the floor.

The Raptors stuck to their gameplan, and as soon as Indiana made substitutions, the road team surged and tied the game. Siakam and Dennis Schroder were having little trouble scoring.

Late in the third quarter, the inability for either group to make a run continued. From the 11:54 mark of the second quarter through the end of the third, neither team held a lead bigger than seven points. After three frames, the score was 101-100. The blue and gold were clinging to a small lead.

With their size disadvantage, it was going to be tough to hang on to that lead. The Raptors were playing well and had figured out what they needed to do to keep up since their slow start. Siakam, Barnes, and OG Anunoby were tough for the Pacers to handle.

The fourth quarter was, as expected, a seesaw at first. Stops were rare, and neither team could capture momentum. With seven minutes to go in the game, the Pacers still held a one-point lead at 113-112. At that moment in the game, there had been 21 lead changes.

Indiana responded with two straight buckets, a significant stretch in a game like this. A five-point lead gave them a bit of a cushion with clutch time approaching and Haliburton as well as Hield set to return soon.

Those two came back in with Indiana ahead 119-116 with 4:22 on the clock. On their very first possession in the game together, Hield found Haliburton for a big three that put Indiana up by seven, and Haliburton skipped back to defense. He was feeling good.

But the resilient Raptors wouldn't go away. They battled all the way back and took a 126-125 lead late, which was the 22nd lead change of the game. Nobody could get a firm grip on this game.

Hield hit a layup to give Indiana another lead, but a Pacers foul sent Siakam to the foul line with 36 seconds to go. He hit both for yet another lead change, and the Raptors were up 128-127 with little time remaining. Indiana needed a bucket badly.

They got it from their star. Haliburton found space on the right wing and knocked down a midrange jumper, giving his team a late lead. There were 30.3 seconds to go and Indiana led by one.

The Raptors, as they had all night, responded. Barnes took a free lane to the rim and dunked the ball after a beautiful fake handoff, and he drew a foul on the shot. The Raptors were up by two with 27 seconds left.

Haliburton missed on the next Indiana possession, so they had to foul. That gave Toronto a chance to ice the game, but Barnes missed one of the two foul shots. The Pacers were down three with 16.6 to go with the ball.

It was a free throw game line, with fouls from both teams. Gary Trent missed two foul shots with 8.2 seconds to go, and the Pacers had the ball with a chance to win.

Hield got a wide open three at the buzzer with a chance to win it, but he just missed it. Toronto held on to win 132-131.

Great look for Buddy Hield doesn’t fall. Raptors win 132-131. pic.twitter.com/Dg73KwRAw5

— Tony East (@TonyREast) November 23, 2023

With the loss, the Pacers fell to 8-6. Haliburton led the way for Indiana with 33 points, and Hield was close behind with 31. Those two were great, but they needed more on defense. The Pacers next play on Friday when they host the Detroit Pistons.

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