Raptors Cage

Game Day Preview: Raptors look to continue their winning ways vs Pacers

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The Toronto Raptors will look to continue their quest to return to their early season form as they take on the lowly Indiana Pacers. The team is still scrambling to find its true identity. After barely edging out inferior opponents in the Bucks and 76ers holding both to under 100 points, the Raptors on Sunday night allowed 110 points to a Pistons team missing their best offensive threat.

It’s lucky for the Raptors that they will have the chance to find that identity as their next three are against opponents below .500. The stretch starts tonight at Bankers Life Fieldhouse against the offensively inept Indiana Pacers. Their last meeting was in Toronto where the Raptors without DeMar Derozan handled the Pacers 106-94 on the backs of a balanced scoring attack with five Raptors posting double figures. If the Raptors want to repeat that result, they would be wise to follow the…

Cage’s Keys to the game.

Clean the Glass

The Indiana Pacers personify the “lunch-pale” mentality in a basketball team. The Pacers rank 5th in the NBA in defensive boards per game with 34.3 and second in the league in allowing the fewest offensive rebounds allowing only 9.4 per contest. Jonas Valanciunas, Amir Johnson, and even former Pacer Tyler Hansbrough will need to have a serious nose for the ball as they contest with the Pacers bruising tandem of Roy Hibbert and veteran David West.

Keep the screws tight

In the three games prior to Sunday’s win, the Raptors were absolutely abysmal offensively. The only way they stayed afloat in those contests was by way of their defensive efforts, Tonight the Raptors take on one of the league’s worst offensive units in the Pacers, who only average an even 95 points per game. If the team can bring the same effort they brought in their Wednesday matchup against one of the league’s elite teams in the Memphis Grizzlies, there is no Marc Gasol on the Pacers to make up for it.

Move the rock

Tonight certainly isn’t the night to bring a sub-zero shooting effort the Raptors will be taking on one of the league’s most stingy defences in the Pacers. They will need to take their offensive performance on Sunday, bottle it up, and bring it again. They moved the ball racking up 23 assists to only eight turnovers. A night of identical efficiency will go a long way in the Raptors racking up their 30th win of the season.

X-Factor: Patrick Patterson

Patman, the Raptors’ resident caped crusader will need to bring his new found mean streak. In the last four games, Patterson is averaging just over 10 rebounds per game, showing his role stretches far beyond just being a bench stretch-4.  Patterson stepped up with his fight on the glass when the games became ugly, willing the team to victory. This game could very well prove to resemble those recent battles, so Patterson’s energy will certainly be welcomed.

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