INDIANAPOLIS—It’s a pretty simple fact of NBA life. If you want more minutes and more responsibility, be ready and do something when the opportunity arises.
The message was heard by a handful of Raptors on Saturday night.
Spot starter Thad Young and backups Dalano Banton and Malachi Flynn responded with tremendous performances, which were wasted when the guys who were supposed to do the heavy lifting came up flat in a 118-104 loss to the Indiana Pacers.
Gary Trent Jr. and Scottie Barnes were a combined 5-for-29 from the floor, simply not good enough when the Raptors were getting big games from unlikely sources.