In his second career game against the Toronto Raptors, Montreal’s Bennedict Mathurin led the Indiana Pacers to a 122-114 win at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Monday.
• Also read: Paul George can’t stop Mathurin and the Pacers
• Also read: Finally, the Raptors win at home
The Montreal-North native was head coach Rick Carlisle’s fifth-picked player, but he was the top scorer for his team. Mathurin missed just three of his 11 shots for a 21-point crop. He also recorded a +21 difference, a high between the two teams.
The Queen City side’s lack of consistency prevented them from claiming a sixth win in 18 away games this season. Nick Nurse’s men played brilliantly in the first and third quarters but were limited to 48 points for the rest of the game.
Gary Trent Jr. had his second straight game with over 30 points at 32. Pascal Siakam also did well with 26 points and seven assists.
Having had a difficult season, young Scottie Barnes is back in form. He had 23 points, eight assists and just as many rebounds.
Montreal’s Chris Boucher was held in check on the floor in four short minutes.
In summary
In Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell had a truly historic game in a 145-134 Cavaliers win.
Mitchell scored no fewer than 71 points in the win. That’s the second biggest harvest in a duel of the century. Only the great Kobe Bryant (81 points) did better in 2006.