Pacers comeback from 27 points down falls short vs. Raptors, 115-101

INDIANAPOLIS -- Brandon Ingram scored 30 points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished out four assists and hit two back-breaking 3-pointers to stop a Pacers comeback from a 27-point deficit as the Raptors won 115-101 in Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday night.

The Pacers snapped a three-game winning streak to hit the midpoint of the season at 9-32, the worst record in the Eastern Conference and the second-worst in the NBA. The Raptors improved to 25-17 and sit in fourth place in the East.

Forward Scottie Barnes added 26 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds for the Raptors. Forward Gradey Dick had 21 points and 11 rebounds. Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 26 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Guards Andrew Nembhard and Quenton Jackson had 14 points each.

Here are three observations.

Brandon Ingram ends ferocious Pacers comeback

The Pacers fell behind by as many as 27 points and never led in Wednesday's game, but their 2-3 zone flummoxed Toronto for much of the fourth quarter and Indiana managed to come back within four points on a Johnny Furphy 3-pointer with 4:17 to play.

However, the All-Star Ingram drilled back-to-back 3-pointers from nearly the same spot at the left elbow to make it a 109-99 game with 3:22 to play and the Pacers couldn't recover. The Pacers had a tough time stopping Ingram all night as he made 12 of 23 field goals, many of them from mid-range. He had just one 3-pointer to his name before the last five minutes, but the two 3s he made were enough.

Pacers nearly recover from brutal start, but fall short

For as brutal of a start to the season as they've had, the Pacers have generally started games at least reasonably well. Even in their recent 13-game losing streak, they were still in games at the end of the first quarter; disaster usually didn't hit until the second or third quarter. They've been outscored in first periods by an average of 28.9 points per game to 28.3 points, but they're -0.6 points per game first-quarter plus-minus puts them near the middle of the league at 16th.

But on Wednesday, the first quarter was the Pacers' disaster quarter and though they played Toronto almost even the rest of the way they never got back into the game after the first 12 minutes.

The Raptors started the game on an 11-2 run which then became a 15-4 run. A 3-pointer by Jarace Walker and a driving layup cut the deficit to 15-9, but that's the closest the Pacers would get in the quarter. A 12-0 Raptors run made it 32-11 and then a late layup by Gradey Dick gave Toronto a 39-18 lead.

The Raptors scored the second-most points of any Pacers opponent in a first quarter this season and the Pacers matched their lowest-scoring first quarter of the season. They scored 18 points in the first twice before -- on Nov. 5 against the Nets and Nov. 8 against the Nuggets. The Raptors were 16 of 22 from the floor, 4 of 5 from 3-point range for 1.58 points per possession and the Pacers made just 6 of 19 field goals and 2 of 8 3s to post 0.8 points per possession.

The Pacers outscored the Raptors 60-55 in the middle two quarters and fought all the way back to get within four points in the fourth, but Ingram hit two 3-point shots that put the game away.

Quenton Jackson, Johnny Furphy, Tony Bradley help spark comeback

On the occasions this season when the Pacers have managed wins, they've generally needed the entire roster to pull it off.

Though their comeback fell short on Wednesday, that comeback did require the Pacers to dig deep while some of their starters were struggling. Forward Aaron Nesmith had a brutal shooting night, making just 1 of 12 from the floor and 0 of 8 from 3, though he was effective on the defensive end. Andrew Nembhard finished with 14 points and 6 assists, but the Pacers still needed a little more out of the backcourt. Centers Jay Huff and Micah Potter both struggled to keep the ball away from the rim on defense and couldn't stay on the floor.

So the Pacers had to rely on one player with a two-way contract in guard Quenton Jackson and another on a 10-day deal to help them get back in the game. Jackson scored 14 points on 3 of 8 shooting including 3 of 5 from 3-point range. He was +12 in 19 minutes. Center Tony Bradley provided the backbone of the Pacers' defense in the second half and was +3 with four rebounds even though he didn't take a shot.

Dustin Dopirak covers the Pacers all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Pacers Insider newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers vs Raptors: Indiana cuts 27-point deficit to 4 but fall 115-101