With a 114:118 against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday (local time), the Toronto Raptors suffered a defeat in front of their home crowd after seven home wins. Jakob Pöltl recorded 23 points, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks as well as one assist. The 27-year-old Viennese played for 35:39 minutes.
“We started very carelessly, especially on defense, were able to fight back with a lot of energy, but threw much worse than the opponent and ultimately deserved to lose,” analyzed the center. The defeat was “disappointing”. With a win, the Canadians (now 35:38 wins) could have pulled away from the Pacers (33:40), who were eleventh in the Eastern Conference, in the race for the play-in ticket. With nine games left in the NBA regular season, Toronto is still ninth.
Indiana was led at Lake Ontario by Canadian rookie guard Andrew Nembhard with 25 points and 10 assists. Pascal Siakam recorded 31 points and 10 rebounds for the Raptors, who host the Detroit Pistons with former coach Dwane Casey on Friday.
In addition to Toronto, the tenth-placed Chicago Bulls (91:116 against the Philadelphia 76ers) and the Washington Wizards (104:118 against the Denver Nuggets) also lost on Wednesday. For the team from the US capital, which occupies twelfth place, it was the fourth bankruptcy in a row. The Atlanta Hawks, who rank directly ahead of Pöltl and colleagues with a 36:37 record, were beaten by the Minnesota Timberwolves 124:125.
NBA leader Milwaukee Bucks gave the San Antonio Spurs no chance and won 130:94. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 31 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. The Los Angeles Lakers moved back up to tenth place in the Western Conference with a 122-111 win over the Phoenix Suns. Anthony Davis (27 points), D’Angelo Russel (26) and Austin Reaves (25) were the top pitchers. Devin Booker scored 33 points for the Arizona team.
NBA result from Wednesday (local time): Toronto Raptors (23 points, 8 rebounds in 35:39 minutes by Jakob Pöltl) – Indiana Pacers 114:118.