Three Indiana Pacers players, including Quebec’s Bennedict Mathurin, amassed more than 20 points in a 101-99 win over the Miami Heat on Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
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With 23 points, the Montreal native was the second best scorer of his team.
He made five of his 11 shots, including three of his seven for three points, in addition to converting 10 of his 12 free throws. Mathurin also added a rebound and two assists.
Only Buddy Hield did better than him, with 25 points and nine rebounds. Tyrese Haliburton, however, was the real catalyst of the Pacers’ offense, he who came very close to a triple-double, by virtue of his 22 points, nine rebounds and as many assists.
On the side of the Heat, Tyler Herro was pleased with a performance of 29 points. He was supported by Bam Adebayo (18 points) and Max Strus (17), but to no avail.
The Pacers will remain in Indianapolis for the next few days, awaiting their next opponent, the New Orleans Pelicans, on Monday.
The Raptors wake up too late
In Dallas, the Toronto Raptors tried to erase a horrible start to the third quarter, but they came up short in their comeback, losing 111-110 to the Mavericks.
The visitors had been able to keep pace with the crowd favorites in the first half, retreating to the locker room with a slender five-point drop. It was back on the floor that everything collapsed, while the “Mavs” scored 18 of the first 22 points of the third quarter.
The Raptors did try to come back, led by OG Anunoby’s 27 points and Scottie Barnes’ triple-double of 11 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, but to no avail.
In the Texas training camp, Luka Doncic was again the best player on the field, with 35 points in the victory, adding eight rebounds and six assists to his record.
However, it was not the performance of any of these players that caught the eye after the match, but the situation surrounding Pascal Siakam.
The latter strangely fell on the floor at the end of the third quarter and immediately left the field, towards the locker room, with a right groin injury.