Pacers vs Raptors: Tipoff at 3:00 p.m. ET as Toronto tries to keep rolling

The Indiana Pacers visit the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, February 8, 2026, with two teams moving in opposite directions as the All-Star break approaches. Toronto enters the afternoon at 31–22, holding position in the East’s upper tier, while Indiana arrives at 13–39, continuing a difficult season and still missing key pieces.

Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

Game time, venue, and odds snapshot

Toronto is a clear favorite at home, reflecting both records and availability concerns for Indiana.

Injury report: key names to watch

The availability picture is central to this matchup, especially for Indiana.

For the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton remains out with an Achilles issue. Indiana is also dealing with additional rotation absences, including Obi Toppin (out) and Ivica Zubac (out / not with team). Those losses squeeze the margin for error for a group that already struggles to generate easy points and protect the paint consistently.

Toronto’s status is less severe but still important. Jakob Poeltl is listed questionable while returning to competition, and Immanuel Quickley is also questionable with an ankle issue. If Poeltl sits, Toronto’s interior defense and screening structure can look different; if Quickley sits, creation shifts more heavily toward Toronto’s primary wings.

What Toronto wants to do

For the Raptors, the blueprint is straightforward: control the middle of the floor, keep Indiana out of transition, and turn defensive stops into quick offense before Indiana can set its matchups.

Toronto’s strongest stretches this season have come when it wins the possession battle—rebounding, limiting turnovers, and forcing opponents to take tough shots late in the clock. Against a short-handed Indiana group, Toronto will likely prioritize:

• Early pressure on ball-handlers to force rushed decisions

• Strong paint touches to collapse the defense and open kick-outs

• Steady pace without turning the game into a three-point variance contest

If Toronto builds a cushion early, it can play the second half at its preferred tempo: organized, physical, and patient.

Indiana’s path: keep it close, then make it messy

Indiana’s job is harder without Haliburton’s creation and tempo control. In this version of the Pacers, the best chance to stay competitive is to turn the game into a grind—limit live-ball turnovers, protect the glass, and generate offense through effort plays rather than half-court brilliance.

To steal this on the road, Indiana likely needs two things to happen:

1. A big scoring night from its primary option to compensate for missing playmaking

2. A strong defensive stretch—even a single quarter—where Toronto’s rhythm breaks and the crowd quiets

Indiana has been vulnerable in close games when it can’t manufacture efficient shots late. That makes the first half critical: falling behind by double digits early often forces a short-handed team into rushed threes and low-quality possessions.

Matchups that could decide the fourth quarter

Even with different records, the game will still come down to a few core battles:

• Toronto’s rim pressure vs. Indiana’s interior depth: if Indiana can’t hold up at the rim, foul trouble and free throws can tilt the game quickly.

• Rebounding margin: extra possessions can make a favored home team’s lead feel inevitable.

• Bench minutes: if Toronto’s second unit wins its minutes, Indiana’s comeback paths shrink fast.

What to watch right away

The opening six minutes should reveal the script.

If Toronto is getting clean looks in transition and living in the paint, it can turn this into a comfortable afternoon. If Indiana can slow the game, keep the score tight, and avoid turnover bursts, the pressure flips to the Raptors to execute in the half court and avoid letting a lower-seeded opponent hang around.

Sources consulted: NBA, Basketball Reference, OddsShark, ESPN