(Toronto) Pascal Siakam had 23 points while Scottie Barnes added 19 as the Toronto Raptors outscored the Indiana Pacers 131-91 on Saturday in a game suspended for 70 minutes due to a fire .
Updated yesterday at 11:42 p.m.
The Raptors started the game on fire in the first half and held a 66-38 lead when a blaze broke out high up at Scotiabank Arena, forcing the game to be suspended.
Fans were ordered to evacuate the arena with 4:05 to go in the second quarter. More than an hour later, the players returned to the field for a brief warm-up before completing the first half. Due to the delay, the half-time break was reduced. The rest of the game will be played without the presence of fans.
A Raptors spokesperson described the incident as “a small electrical fire” above Section 103. Video footage showed a loudspeaker bursting into flames. The main concerns would be related to the smell and the presence of smoke in the arena.
A firefighter was able to rappel from the ceiling of the arena to extinguish the burning loudspeaker using a fire extinguisher.
Precious Achiuwa scored 18 points in the Raptors’ 42-32 win, which lifted the team to sixth in the Eastern Conference due to the Chicago Bulls’ victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. OG Anunoby finished the night with 16 points as teammates Chris Boucher (15 points) and Thaddeus Young (11 points) also did well.
Fred VanVleet, bothered by a knee injury, did not return to the field after the long delay caused by the fire.
Former Raptors player and Toronto native Oshae Brissett led the Pacers on offense (25-50) with 21 points while Justin Anderson had 18.
With just eight games left in the regular season, the Raptors are in a fight to the finish for a direct playoff berth. It was therefore crucial that the match could be completed despite the delay.
The Raptors are already guaranteed to make the playoffs, but finishing in the top six would ensure they skip the qualifiers and go straight to the playoffs.
With the Cavaliers’ loss, the Raptors now sit only sixth in the East, one game ahead of Cleveland.
A loudspeaker on fire
The first signs that something was wrong came late in the first quarter when fans in the top seats began to see smoke. Subsequently, a section at the very bottom, at the east end, was evacuated. Firefighters arrived in the empty section looking up at the ceiling. A few minutes later, another section was evacuated.
The house announcer, Herbie Kuhn, was instructed to turn off his microphone for security reasons. He could be heard performing sound checks several times in the second quarter, but the main speakers above the bleachers didn’t seem to be working.
The whole time the game continued, but in the last minutes of the second quarter, firefighters had a brief discussion with the referees and the players left the field towards their respective locker rooms.
At this point, Kuhn instructed all supporters to evacuate. Boos were heard, but the audience cooperated.
The Raptors organization has confirmed that ticket holders will be able to claim a refund at the place where they made their purchase. Supporters have 30 days to claim the sum.
Brooks in Toronto to stay
PHOTO MATT SLOCUM, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Armoni Brooks
Earlier Saturday, the Toronto Raptors announced they have signed guard Armoni Brooks to a multi-year contract.
The deal came as Brooks’ second ten-day trial contract came to an end. The team has therefore agreed to retain its services a few hours before the duel against the Indiana Pacers at Scotiabank Arena.
In eight games with the Toronto squad, Brooks posted averages per game of 2.9 points, 1.4 rebounds collected and 11.1 minutes played.
In the Raptors’ 117-104 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, Brooks made a big three-pointer during the fourth quarter.
He’s scored at least six points in each of the past three games and had three points, four rebounds and two assists in his only start with the Raptors on March 12 in Denver.
In 49 games, including nine starts with the Houston Rockets and Raptors, Brooks scored 5.7 points per game. He averaged 15.9 minutes, grabbed 1.9 rebounds and had 1.1 assists.