GAME #33 Indiana Pacers @ Toronto Raptors - Wednesday, December 19, 2018 7:30 PM ET on TSN

[MixxAOR]

Home Sweet Home

Projected Starters

Pacers (20-10)	Raptors (23-9)
Darren Collison	Kyle Lowry
Victor Oladipo	Danny Green
Bojan Bogdanovic	Kawhi Leonard
Thaddeus Young	Pascal Siakam
Myles Turner	Serge Ibaka

NOTES

Nick Nurse, sending a message post-game, wasn't happy with how Kawhi Leonard is being officiated, tonight and throughout the season: "I do not understand why they are letting everybody play one of the best players in the league so physically. I do not understand it."

— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) December 17, 2018

Raptors play the fewest games in the NBA from here and don't travel more than 1 time zone. Hopefully that helps with some of the injury trouble & exhaustion.

— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) December 17, 2018

Danny Green rocking the pirate look after getting poked in the eye tonight (via his IG). Much needed day off for the wounded Raptors tomorrow. They don't play until Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/u0N2EqB4yS

— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) December 17, 2018

LMAOOO https://t.co/cHeGNhuYAZ pic.twitter.com/he9CHB3qLY

— William Lou (@william_lou) December 17, 2018

[DanH]

To continue my point from the other thread, the schedule gets real easy now.

The Raptors are in a dead heat with the Bucks for the easiest strength of schedule from now to the end of the season, and play 4 fewer games over that time. The Raptors are the only team in the league with only 50 games yet to play.

Indy is the toughest team, current-record-wise, that the Raptors will play for the rest of the year, besides their games against said Bucks.

But with home court and a rest advantage (2 days off versus the Pacers on a back to back), this game has the Raptors heavily favoured (my model pegs it at 64% chance to win). We'll see if they are mostly healthy, though.

[Jclaw]

The daunting first game back after a western road trip. Hopefully we'll have some rested players up for it. Go Raps.

[G__Deane]

Bucks, rejuvenated Sixers and Celtics all playing well and have all picked up games on the Raptors in the standings over the last 10. But also put the Pacers in there, winners of their last 7 and now tied with the Bucks for 2nd in the conference.

And they're doing it as a true team, without an elite superstar. Oladipo is a good one, Bogdanovich is having a good year and they have a handful of guys that can rain 40% threes on you.

This will NOT be an easy one (again), hopefully Kyle can go.

[KeonClark]

To continue my point from the other thread, the schedule gets real easy now.

The Raptors are in a dead heat with the Bucks for the easiest strength of schedule from now to the end of the season, and play 4 fewer games over that time. The Raptors are the only team in the league with only 50 games yet to play.

Indy is the toughest team, current-record-wise, that the Raptors will play for the rest of the year, besides their games against said Bucks.

But with home court and a rest advantage (2 days off versus the Pacers on a back to back), this game has the Raptors heavily favoured (my model pegs it at 64% chance to win). We'll see if they are mostly healthy, though.

So what you're saying is, going 73-9 and winning the gold ball and being anointed the greatest in the history of balls going through hoops is still realistic

[GLF]

Bucks, rejuvenated Sixers and Celtics all playing well and have all picked up games on the Raptors in the standings over the last 10. But also put the Pacers in there, winners of their last 7 and now tied with the Bucks for 2nd in the conference.

And they're doing it as a true team, without an elite superstar. Oladipo is a good one, Bogdanovich is having a good year and they have a handful of guys that can rain 40% threes on you.

This will NOT be an easy one (again), hopefully Kyle can go.

Not at all. If we are missing any of our guys other than obviously JV there is a good chance we lose this game. Hopefully at least Kyle and Pascal will be back

[GLF]

To continue my point from the other thread, the schedule gets real easy now.

The Raptors are in a dead heat with the Bucks for the easiest strength of schedule from now to the end of the season, and play 4 fewer games over that time. The Raptors are the only team in the league with only 50 games yet to play.

Indy is the toughest team, current-record-wise, that the Raptors will play for the rest of the year, besides their games against said Bucks.

But with home court and a rest advantage (2 days off versus the Pacers on a back to back), this game has the Raptors heavily favoured (my model pegs it at 64% chance to win). We'll see if they are mostly healthy, though.

This is good to here. Oh how I miss JV, watching Greg Monroe play (especially on defence) is painful. Hopefully he looks better against weaker teams. And I really hope we never have to see Lorenzo touch the floor every again.

[rocwell]

[B][SIZE=6]

LMAOOO https://t.co/cHeGNhuYAZ pic.twitter.com/he9CHB3qLY

— William Lou (@william_lou) December 17, 2018

man needs a restraining order

[golden]

This is good to here. Oh how I miss JV, watching Greg Monroe play (especially on defence) is painful. Hopefully he looks better against weaker teams. And I really hope we never have to see Lorenzo touch the floor every again.

JV’s soft touch around the rim makes it look so damn easy, but watching a former elite low post scorer like Monroe get blocked all the time makes you appreciate him even more.

[G__Deane]

Hopefully the team is using this time to further gel and bring Kawhi further into a smooth integrated offense, Kyle to fully heal etc because this is a ton of time off for fans

Come on hump day!

[A.I]

This is good to here. Oh how I miss JV, watching Greg Monroe play (especially on defence) is painful. Hopefully he looks better against weaker teams. And I really hope we never have to see Lorenzo touch the floor every again.

Its funny how people wanted Monroe to get minutes over JV just a few weeks ago. This fanbase is so reactionary lol

[DanH]

So what you're saying is, going 73-9 and winning the gold ball and being anointed the greatest in the history of balls going through hoops is still realistic

Expected, if anything.

[S.R.]

So what you're saying is, going 73-9 and winning the gold ball and being anointed the greatest in the history of balls going through hoops is still realistic

Expected, if anything.

Gold ball so close I think I can smell it

[KeonClark]

LMAOOO https://t.co/cHeGNhuYAZ pic.twitter.com/he9CHB3qLY

— William Lou (@william_lou) December 17, 2018

This reads like some teen novella

"Leonard smiled back wistfully, consciously not utilizing that trademark laugh. Perhaps he knew."

[G__Deane]

Its funny how people wanted Monroe to get minutes over JV just a few weeks ago. This fanbase is so reactionary lol

Understatement of the year