Garion Thorne gives you a preview, prediction and pick for tonight’s contest between the Indiana Pacers and the Toronto Raptors.
After taking down the Cavaliers 110-99 on Monday, the Raptors will look for their ninth straight win of the season this evening, as they welcome the Pacers to Toronto.
This will also be the Raptors’ final round robin game of the NBA Cup. Toronto has already clinched East Group A with a 3-0 record, yet the team will still be looking to go a perfect 4-0 and secure home court advantage in the quarterfinals.
Can the Pacers halt the streak and pick up their third victory of 2025-26? Let’s preview tonight’s game with the help of some of some odds and lines on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Pacers vs. Raptors prediction, preview
I’m not sure even the most optimistic Raptors fan saw this coming. After a few years of slumming it towards the bottom of the Eastern Conference, Toronto is 13-5 through 18 games, sitting second in the standings. On top of that, Brandon Ingram had clearly his best performance in a Raptors’ uniform in Monday’s victory, going off for a season-high 37 points on 15-for-30 shooting. Toronto needed the former All-Star to take on more of a scoring load in that one, as RJ Barrett missed his first contest of 2025-26 with a knee sprain. Imaging didn’t reveal any structural damage in the Canadian’s knee, yet Barrett has also been ruled out for Wednesday’s tilt and he’ll be re-evaluated in seven days time. Ingram has been a monster with Barrett off the floor, averaging a robust 26.8 points per 75 possessions and seeing his usage rate climb all the way up to 31.7%. I’d expect another high-scoring effort from Ingram this evening, especially considering the Pacers sit 23rd in the NBA in defensive rating (118.9).
Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley will also be tasked with picking up some of Barrett’s usual scoring load, yet it’s the unsung heroes of this torrid Toronto start that have me intrigued. Sophomore Ja’Kobe Walter will likely draw his second straight start in Barrett’s place, while dark horse Sixth Man of the Year candidate Sandro Mamukelashvili and his 44.4% three-point shooting mark will pack a punch off the pine. Let’s not sleep on Jamal Shead, either. A second-round pick out of Houston last season, Shead currently sits ninth in the NBA in assist rate (37.0%) and second among all qualified players in assists per 36 minutes (10.9). The lone man that Shead is trailing? Nikola Jokic. Not bad for your back-up point guard.
Things are a little more bleak on Indiana’s side of the ledger. The reigning Eastern Conference champions have been bogged down by injuries, though the squad has been playing better since the return of Bennedict Mathurin. Foul trouble limited Mathurin’s impact in Monday’s loss to the Pistons, but prior to that contest, the former lottery pick had scored 20-plus points in three straight games. That might not seem like much, but when you’re averaging only 106.6 points per 100 possessions — the second-lowest mark in the NBA — you’ll take all the help getting the ball in the basket that you can get.
Pacers vs. Raptors pick, best bet
58.8% of Pacers games have gone under this season — the third-highest rate in the league. Specific to tonight, we’re pitting the NBA’s 29th ranked offensive rating (Indiana) against its seventh-best defensive rating (Toronto). I’m just not sure the Pacers can score enough to get us to this number.