Game Rewind: Pacers 91, Raptors 131

There was nothing normal about Saturday's Pacers game in Toronto.

Indiana began the night with just eight healthy players and without head coach Rick Carlisle, who did not travel on the team's two-game road trip due to personal reasons. Things got even stranger late in the first half, when Scotiabank Arena was evacuated and the game was suspended for over an hour due to a small electrical fire before resuming action without fans.

That delayed the outcome of the game, but the contest was effectively decided by that point. The Pacers (25-50) already trailed by 28 at the time of the delay and never seriously threatened afterwards, falling to the Raptors (42-32), 131-91.

Toronto native and former Raptor Oshae Brissett kept the Pacers close early, scoring 11 of Indiana's first 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting. The Pacers trailed just 18-16 following Brissett's layup with 5:10 left in the first quarter.

But five different Raptors hit 3-pointers over the final five minutes of the frame as Toronto closed the period with a 23-5 run to take a 41-21 lead into the second quarter.

Precious Achiuwa made one of those 3-pointers, then knocked down three more triples in the first five minutes of the second quarter, helping Toronto maintain a commanding lead. The hosts had extended their lead to 66-38 when the Pacers took a timeout with 4:05 remaining.

At that point, the game was then suspended. The fire chief made the call at 8:25 PM ET to send both teams back to their respective locker rooms and ask all fans to evacuate the building to allow firefighters to tend to an electrical fire on a speaker in the rafters.

After over an hour-long delay, the game resumed at 9:30. Fans were not allowed back into the building. Justin Anderson scored five points for the Pacers during the restart, but Indiana still trailed by 28 at halftime, 74-46.

"15 years for me, probably the most bizarre situation that we've been in for a game," Pacers coach Lloyd Pierce said. "I really give both teams and all of the players credit for going into the locker room, being deactivated, and then having to come back out on the floor and add 10 minutes to the clock and get going again."

After an abbreviated intermission, the teams resumed action once more. Anderson, Jalen Smith, and then Tyrese Haliburton knocked down 3-pointers on Indiana's first three possessions of the third quarter.

Still, the Blue & Gold were unable to make any headway in the frame. They endured a three-and-a-half-minute scoreless drought later in the period and trailed after three quarters, 96-70.

The Raptors extended their lead in the fourth quarter, pushing the margin as high as 42 points.

"We definitely came out really flat," Brissett said after the loss. "They were hitting a lot of shots, obviously, a lot of threes, everyone was on fire for them today. But there's obviously more that we could have done. Coming out with more fire, more energy is something that we've got to pick up."

Brissett led four Pacers in double figures with 21 points while also collecting eight rebounds and four steals.

Anderson added 18 points, six boards, and four assists while going 4-for-7 from 3-point range. Smith tallied 15 points, six rebounds, and three blocks, while Buddy Hield scored 14 and went 4-for-8 from beyond the arc.

Pascal Siakam led all scorers with 23 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and three steals. Scottie Barnes added 19 points, six boards, and seven assists for Toronto, while Achiuwa finished with 18 points off the bench, going 4-for-5 from 3-point range.

With the win and Cleveland's loss in Chicago on Saturday, Toronto moved into sixth place in the Eastern Conference with eight games remaining in the regular season. The top six teams at the conclusion of the regular season automatically advance to the playoffs and avoid having to take part in the Play-In Tournament.

The Pacers will return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for a two-game homestand next week, hosting Atlanta on Monday and Denver on Wednesday.

Brissett topped 20 points for the fourth time this season.

Haliburton scored just seven points on 2-of-7 shooting, but did dish out 12 assists, his eighth time tallying double-digit assists in 19 games with Indiana.

The Raptors outscored Indiana 62-32 in points in the paint.

Toronto went 15-for-32 (46.9 percent) from 3-point range, while the Pacers were 11-for-36 (30.6 percent).

The Raptors scored 22 points off of 14 Pacers turnovers while only committing six giveaways themselves, one more than a season low by a Pacers opponent.

"We were all confused kind of like how everyone else was. Just sitting there waiting, whole bunch of questions going around, whole bunch of thoughts going around. But we have to deal with what we're given. We went back out there and tried to do something, but we fell short." -Brissett on the players' reaction after being sent to the locker room

"It made sense to finish this game while we're here. The alternative of trying to figure it out just seemed tough. If safe and the fire marshal having the ability to determine that the building would be safe, then we were going to try to figure out how to finish the game." -Pierce on the decision to finish the game

"I got a whole bunch of texts (from) friends, family. They were really mad, but it was good that they came to support and watch what they did get to see. Just glad that everyone was safe getting out." -Brissett on the reaction from his friends and family who attended Saturday's game

The Pacers' 40-point loss on Saturday was their largest margin of defeat this season and the largest since a 46-point loss in Toronto on Feb. 23, 2020. It was just the fifth time in NBA franchise history that Indiana lost by 40 or more.

After a two-game road trip, the Pacers return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to host Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, March 28 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets »