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The 123-112 win over the Indiana Pacers wasn’t a pretty one, though the first half of the game was one of the best offensively in the 15 year history of the Toronto Raptors.

Indiana isn’t a defensive juggernaut by any means, and this marked the seventh game out of 12 that they have given up over a hundred.

The Raptors may have scored 74 points in the first but also gave up 53 and then were outscored 59-49 in the second half. This game could have easily slipped away from them as we have seen happen in the past.

Jarrett Jack brought his “A” game as expected against his old team and has been a real factor over the last three games as his comfort level on this team rises.

Chris Bosh didn’t have a great game and still recorded his league leading 12th double double of the year.

Thankfully, Andrea Bargnani really stepped his game up in the fourth quarter, as he was somewhat transparent for the first three.

Some props should be given to veteran center Rasho Nesterovic who made 6-of-9 from the floor for 12 points in 16 minutes on the floor. Big ups!

Before this game, the Raptors were 1-8 when giving up more than 100 points, now they are obviously 2-8. Their record stands at 7-8.

The question isn’t whether they can score because they are in the upper echelon of the league in this category, but when they need a stop, can they get it?

The Raptors have played one of the most difficult schedules to start this season and are now just one game below .500 and are making their way into Charlotte to take on a fairly low-scoring team that can play defense.

Toronto has lost both times this year when playing in back-to-back games, mind you the losses came against Dallas and Utah and were during road trips.

The Bobcats are supposed to see the return of their number one center, 7’1" Tyson Chandler, who’s been nursing a sore back, for this game.

Chandler is a big presence in paint, and he rebounds and blocks shots very well while adding some but not a lot of scoring.

They also recently traded Raja Bell and Vladimir Radmanovic to Golden State for scorer Stephen Jackson and guard Acie Law.

Charlotte forces 14.83 turnovers, 8.33 steals per game on their home court, so the Raptors will have to play a smart game and take care of the ball.

The Raptors definitely have very good chance of winning this game, but they will have to play a full 60 minutes at both ends of the court, which seems they really only accomplished once, and it was in their home opener win over Cleveland.

The bench, as it has been all year, will have to continue to play well and contribute as will the starting five.

The spread for this game opened up with Charlotte as a two and a half point favourite, but by the time this game starts, this number may come down.

If the Raptors can get the win, which I think they should, they will move their record to .500 on the year and go on to play in Boston, Friday, riding a high and with some renewed confidence.

Go Raps!

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