Perhaps the most dramatic game in Raptors history ended with a waved-off basket, and Toronto took a 3-2 lead in their topsy-turvy playoff series with Indiana.
The Raptors fell behind from the opening tip, and every time they appeared to be making a push, the Indiana Pacers would push back. A team should lose when trailing by 13 points entering the fourth quarter of a playoff game. Yet the Raptors shut down the Pacers attack, finally found enough offense to take the late lead, and hung on.
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First Half
The Indiana Pacers must have thought they were in their home court, because they shot the ball like they play in the Air Canada Centre every night. No matter what the Raptors did defensively, they couldn’t shut down the opponents’ firepower from deep. Indiana buried 11 of 17 shots from beyond the 3-point arc, or an absurd 64.7%. That was higher than their shotmaking from inside the arc.
Toronto tried its share of long balls, but to little effect, other than DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry each draining one. Those shots brought a sigh of relief from long-suffering fans, to say nothing of how much lighter our guys felt.
The Raptors fed Jonas Valanciunas early, but he brought the ball to his waist after receiving the passes and it was swatted away by the swarming Pacers defenders. JV was charged with four turnovers early, though he did find his stroke later.
DeRozan was finally getting some calls in his favour and made the Pacers pay, draining all 6 free throws. However, the Raptors had no answer for Paul George. The Pacers small(?) forward is the player of the series so far, torched the Raptors for 22 points – and was far from finished.
Second Half
The Raptors had been down by 17 just before Q1 ended, yet had battled back with consistent scoring from DeRozan. A 3-point play by George Hill, another thorn in the Raptors’ side, was needed for Indiana to go into the dressing room with a 9-point edge.
But once again it was the Pacers who stole the Raptors lunch, winning Q3 by 4 points, as George was doing what he wanted. Another 15 points, built from 8 successful free-throw attempts, seemed to provide sufficient margin. He and George Hill started Q4 on the bench, confident their second-unit mates could bring home a victory.
Hold the party, Pacers. The Raptors shut down the visitors for over 4 minutes, then after the Pacers first field goal, three more by the Raptors produced a 92-92 tie. Norman Powell intercepted a backcourt pass and converted it into an emphatic dunk to level the score.
But wait, we’re not done. DeRozan and Cory Joseph drained 3-pointers, and Toronto suddenly had a 6-point lead. The Pacers didn’t fold, and a pair of tough buckets, including a 3-ball by Solomon Hill, brought them within a point. After DeMar buried two free throws, the Pacers had one chance to tie, but Hill’s elbow 3-ball left his fingertips a split-second late. After review (more tension!) the officials declared the game over.
In Sum…
Bismack Biyombo played every second of the triumphant fourth quarter, and owned the boards. He grabbed 7 of his game-leading 16 rebounds and added 4 of his ten points. Norman Powell took DeMarre Carroll’s spot and ended the match plus_16.
Patrick Patterson started the game in place of Luis Scola but had a miserable night, ending minus_20 (a strange result for someone who frequently leads this category).
CoJo redeemed himself for his Game 4 flop by joining the unlikely fivesome which keyed the comeback. So did DeRozan, with 34 efficient points.
The Raptors can close out this series on Friday night in Indianapolis. I’d be quite happy with a wire-to-wire win. I’m unsure my nerves can stand any more drama.