The Toronto Raptors have been one of the league's most impressive teams during the first half of the season. The addition of Kawhi Leonard has been as advertised and the case can even be made that he's a dark horse candidate for the MVP Award. However, now Leonard is set to miss his fourth consecutive game before returning for Friday's contest against the Houston Rockets. The team is still riding a three-game winning streak in Leonard's absence and will look to continue their winning ways against the Indiana Pacers.

Meanwhile, the Pacers are also playing some tremendous basketball lately with four wins in their last five games. This was a group that was also expected to be competitive in the Eastern Conference and has held their own throughout the season. However, a win over the Raptors would certainly be a fantastic feather in their cap. With the amount of depth that they have in their rotation, a win over a shorthanded Raptors squad isn't out of the question.

How to watch 

  • Date: Wednesday, Jan. 23
  • Time: 7 p.m. ET
  • Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse -- Indianapolis, Indiana
  • Streaming: fuboTV - (free trial - NBA League Pass add-on available)
  • Live stats: GameTracker
  • Odds: Pacers -6.0

Odds and analysis

Check Sportsline's NBA pick sheet for all your daily odds.

Storylines

Raptors: The biggest storyline surrounding this game is the fact that Kawhi Leonard will continue to be out of the lineup. This will mark the fourth consecutive game that Leonard will miss as the team wants to manage his prior quadriceps injury. With Toronto being at the top of the Eastern Conference, it's not surprising that the Raptors are taking it easy when it comes to their star forward. 

Pacers: The Pacers didn't make any huge moves during the offseason, but added a key veteran piece to their rotation in the form of Tyreke Evans. Evans is currently averaging 10.9 points on the season but has really been playing terrific basketball off the bench for Indiana as of late. The nine-year veteran is averaging 15.6 points over his last five games, including a 19-point performance against the Dallas Mavericks earlier this week.

Game prediction, pick

Both teams have been playing well as of late, but not having Leonard is a big deal. The Raptors did defeat the Kings on Tuesday without Leonard, but the Pacers have been one of the better teams in the East this season. Indiana should be able to win this one.