Takeaways as RJ Barrett stars in Upset Over Pacers

Toronto Raptors 130, Indiana Pacers 119

Toronto found out.

It’s been two weeks since the Raptors last snuck away with a win this season, and over that stretch, Toronto has lost four games in heartbreaking fashion. Most nights, the Raptors looked like a team still figuring out how to win games without being able to get completely over the edge.

On Monday, they showed that growth.

RJ Barrett called his own number on consecutive possessions, pushing a nine-point Raptors lead to 13 after Toronto’s offense stalled early in the fourth. When the Pacers responded, Toronto went right back to Barrett again. He hit a cool floater, followed it up with a fadeaway jumper, then hit a step-back jumper over Obi Toppin to ice the game for Toronto.

Don’t let all the talk of modern small-ball basketball fool you, size still matters in the NBA.

Jakob Poeltl showed as much Monday, punishing the Pacers, who were forced to do without their entire center rotation. Indiana tried to slow down Poeltl with its undersized forwards, using a combination of Jarace Walter, Obi Toppin and rookie Enqiue Freeman to boost Poeltl.

It didn’t work.

Toronto got to the hoop with little resistance, took advantage of Poeltl’s size and repeatedly went to the 7-foot Austrian out of pick-and-roll opportunities. Barrett continued to show his improved playmaking chops, feeding Poeltl with easy dump-off passes near the rim. When Barrett took it himself, Poeltl was there to clean up the glass if he missed.

On one first-half possession, Barrett missed a layup that led to three straight Poeltl offensive rebounds before Poeltl finally converted the putback. Indiana simply had no answer to Poeltl’s size, and while it won’t be as easy as it was Monday against other teams, Poeltl’s emergence this season shows just how valuable he can be to this franchise.

Poeltl finished the night with 30 points and a wild one-handed slam dunk thanks to a great find from Gradey Dick.

Indiana’s lack of size meant Barrett could have his way with the Pacers as well.

Pascal Siakam’s defense wasn’t enough to keep Barrett out of the paint as the Canadian forward came in with ease on Monday night. He got his left hand, and when Indiana sent help his way, he made smart decisions, found teammates and played without problems.

Barrett absolutely played for Toronto late, finishing the night with a season-high 37 points on 12-for-20 shooting with nine rebounds and five assists.

Want to know what the vibe is like on this Raptors team?

Just look at what happens when Garrett Temple checks into a game these days. The 38-year-old saw rotation minutes against Indiana and proved he still has some gas in the tank. He hit a three-pointer in the second quarter that led to an outburst on the Toronto bench as the Pacers called a timeout. Moments later, he stripped Jarace Walker, took the ball to the hoop before finding Poeltl for a dunk.

Temple doesn’t see a lot of playing time, but it’s not hard to tell what he means to this team as a veteran for this organization.

Chris Boucher had one of the craziest sequences you’ll ever see in the first quarter Monday night, blocking back-to-back three-point attempts on a single possession. He first hit a Johnny Furphy three before recovering seconds late to knock another three away from Obi Toppin.

The Raptors will have a few days off before Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves come to town on Thursday for a tip-off at 7:30 PM ET.