Pacers rough start leads to loss against Raptors

After snapping their three game winning streak, the Pacers will try to bounce back against the Pelicans to close out their homestand.

The Pacers won the final three quarters of their game against the Raptors, but still lost the game 115-101 at the Fieldhouse on Wednesday. The Raptors won the first quarter big, 39-18 which turned out to be too big of a hole for the Pacers to dig out of despite their best effort to do so in the final 36 minutes.

If you look at the box score, the slow start might be explained as a simple ‘make or miss league’ situation considering the Pels shot over 72%, which included making 4 of 5 three pointers. Conversely, the Pacers made just 2 of 8 treys and overall shot under 32 % from the floor.

However, watching the actual action unveiled a different story as the length and physicality of the Raptors defense disrupted the Pacers offense. In particular, they threw excess attention at Pascal Siakam who was only able to take one shot and score zero points in the opening frame.

So, instead of a ‘make or miss’ situation, is was better described as a ‘make ‘em miss’ situation with Toronto’s defense altering the start of the game. With so many misses by the home team, the Raptors had a 16 to 3 rebound advantage in the first quarter which made their offense go while putting extreme pressure on the Pacers at the defensive end.

So, yeah, that first quarter was the game as the Raptors never trailed after taking a 2-0 lead 38 seconds into the game.

There are some positives to take from the full 48 considering the Pacers did adjust to what the Raptors were doing and were a +7 over the final three quarters. They even cut into that rebound deficit to make it just -3 by the end of the game.

Siakam rallied, as well, finishing the final three quarters with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Johnny Furphy continues to improve his comfort level on the floor and impact the game with his activity. Furph finished with a 10 point, 10 rebound double-double playing a big role in the Pacers effort to cut the deficit to four points midway through the fourth quarter before the Raptors staved off the run and put the game away.

Both Jarace Walker and Quenton Jackson made 3 of 5 three-pointers off the bench. Jackson had another strong effort among the reserves, scoring 14 points with 2 assists and 5 rebounds in about 19 minutes of action. This was the third consecutive game that Walker made 3 of 5 3-balls and he is now shooting 60 percent from behind the arc in the seven games since the start of January,

With the Pacers loss and the Pelicans win, the Pacers have the worst record in the league once, again. Those two teams will play at the Fieldhouse on Friday to finish off the current homestand. Oh, and the Pacers are actually 2.5-point favorites to win the game. Rare role as a favorite this season.

Pacers vs. Pelicans

Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN

When: Friday, January 16, 2026 - 7:00 p.m. ET

TV: FanDuel Sports Network

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan

Odds: Pacers - 2.5

Projected Starters

Pacers: Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Johnny Furphy, Pascal Siakam, Jay Huff

Pelicans: Jeremiah Fears, Trey Murphy III, Sadiq Bey, Zion Williamson, Derik Queen

Injuries

Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin (thumb) - out, Isaiah Jackson (concussion) - out, Obi Toppin (hammy) - out, Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles) - out

Pelicans: Jose Alvadrado (oblique) - out, Herb Jones (ankle) - out, Dejounte Murray (Achilles) - out