Indiana will try to bounce back from a narrow loss to Denver when it plays host to Toronto on Saturday night. The Pacers had won four out of five games before losing to the Nuggets in a 122-119 setback on Wednesday. This story was published prior to Toronto’s game at Oklahoma City on Friday night.

Toronto has been playing consistently well since losing two of its first three games this season. The Raptors have won six of their last nine games heading into Friday night’s tilt in Oklahoma City (this story was published before that game). They split a pair of meetings with Chicago last weekend before beating Houston in a 116-109 final on Wednesday. Toronto will be playing the second game of a three-game road trip on Saturday night, and it will wrap up that trip on Monday night. Veteran guard Fred VanVleet scored a season-high 32 points and added four steals in the win over the Rockets on Wednesday.

OG Anunoby continued his strong start to the season by scoring 27 points and completing his double-double with 10 rebounds. Anunoby has racked up at least three steals in a career-high six consecutive games, helping the team cope with the absence of Pascal Siakam, who is expected to miss at least two weeks with a strained right adductor muscle. The Raptors are also without Precious Achiuwa indefinitely after he exited Wednesday’s game due to a right ankle injury. Veteran forward Otto Porter Jr. missed the first seven games of the season, but he scored 14 points and played a season-high 23 minutes off the bench against Houston. The Raptors have been a decent offensive team, ranked No. 16 in points per game (112.3). They are facing an Indiana defense that is No. 28, allowing 118.4 points.

Indiana was not expected to be a contender this season, so its 1-4 start to the year did not come as a surprise. The Pacers went on to win four of their next five games, beating Washington, Brooklyn, Miami and New Orleans. Their lone loss during that stretch came in a rematch with the Nets at the end of October. They are hoping to bounce back again on Saturday night after losing to Denver by three points on Wednesday night. Indiana held an 18-point lead in the second half before allowing Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets to rally.

The Pacers had an opportunity to force overtime at the buzzer, but Myles Turner’s 3-pointer was off the mark. They received another outstanding effort from rookie guard Bennedict Mathurin though, as he poured in 30 points, with 23 coming in the first half. Tyrese Haliburton added a double-double with 21 points and 11 assists, while Turner also posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Indiana now ranks third in the NBA in scoring, averaging 117.3 points per game. Haliburton and Mathurin are combining for more than 40 points per game, while Buddy Hield is adding 18.5 points. They are facing a Toronto defense that is No. 5, allowing 106.8 points per game.