Pacers beat Raptors, 127-125 - Live Reaction Podcast (Patreon)

Detailing the win with Samson Folk of Raptors Republic 

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper  

Despite giving up 84 points in the paint, while spending a bunch of the first half getting run over in transition, the undermanned Pacers were able to manufacture enough timely stops (oh hi, Ben Sheppard) in combination with timely scores to head into the All-Star Break with a narrow, (eventually) hard-fought win over the Toronto Raptors -- also known as Pascal Siakam's former team. That means, after doing a deep dive with Samson Folk of Raptors Republic on the intricacies and nuances of Siakam's potential impact for the Pacers in the immediate aftermath of the trade, the latest cross-over between the two teams allowed the pair of us to team up once again, offering immediate reaction to the nitty gritty of the game as well as outside opinion on the players who swapped teams and more.

Topics:

- late-game emergence of two-man game between Haliburton and Siakam

- Andrew Nembhard initiating more of the offense

- general overview of Siakam's defense 

- Sheppard's standout play in the fourth quarter -- on both ends of the floor

- Bruce Brown upping his play against his old teams

- Plus, plenty of thoughts about the development of Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley (hey, at least half of the show had to be about the Raptors, right?)

- more

Enjoy the video! If scheduling allows, Samson is going to join me for some Pacers coverage during the playoffs (assuming the Pacers are in the playoffs). Turns out, Indiana can be a desirable destination for big-time talents -- at least on temporary loan.