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The Indiana Pacers continue to endure a topsy-turvy start to the 2024-25 season, and on Tuesday night in NBA Cup action, they suffered another disappointing loss, this time with the rebuilding Toronto Raptors taking a 122-111 win. The Pacers put up a spirited comeback attempt, but in the end, it wasn't enough — with Scottie Barnes dominating Indiana to the tune of a career-high 35 points, nine rebounds, and six assists on the night.
The Pacers had scarcely any answers for Barnes on the night, with the 23-year-old Raptors forward showcasing the well-rounded skillset that has made him Toronto's franchise cornerstone for the long haul. All Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle could do after the game was to shower Barnes with praise, saying that he'll be stuffing stat sheets for years to come.
“Before he’s done with his career, he’s going to have a very high number of triple-doubles,” Carlisle said in his postgame presser, per Adam Laskaris of Offside.
Barnes does indeed have a skillset conducive to racking up triple-doubles; he has guard skills in a 6'9″ frame, and he's not shy in getting his hands dirty on the interior. He spearheaded the Raptors' attack that shot 54.3 percent from the field against the Pacers, putting up 56 points in the paint as well.
For his career, Barnes has six triple-doubles, which has him tied for 28th on the all-time active player leaderboard. But given that he's only in the fourth season of his career, there should be more of those where they came from for the Raptors forward.
Pacers desperately search for answers to slow start
For a team that made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, a 9-13 start to the 2024-25 campaign will be very disappointing. Building a rhythm has been a struggle for the Pacers, and they couldn't seem to put together a stretch of the solid basketball they played for most of last season.
Much has been made about Tyrese Haliburton's struggles this year, but on Tuesday night, he showed up despite being on the road. He put up 30 points on 10-16 shooting from the field and was just a -3 in an 11-point defeat.
It was Pascal Siakam's turn to struggle; he scored just 13 points on 4-13 shooting from the field — not the best showing, and against his former team, no less. Perhaps the Pacers are simply feeling the absence of Aaron Nesmith, who doesn't seem to be close to a return to action.
