Raptors win behind a triple-double from Kyle Lowry.
 | Amir Johnson, PF 29 MIN | 3-7 FG | 4-5 FT | 9 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 3 TO | 11 PTS | +17 +/-Certainly had more bounce than he did against the Trail Blazers, so that’s a solid start. Positioned himself nicely for pick-and-roll finishes. Solid work on the boards, helping the Raptors to a +15 rebounding edge. This is the Amir Johnson that needs to show up every time. |  | |||||||
 | Terrence Ross, SF 21 MIN | 3-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 9 PTS | +12 +/-Left the game with back spasms. Bricked an alley-oop in the first half. Was a mess on defense. But he was on-point from deep, so it wasn’t a totally useless outing. |  | |||||||
 | Jonas Valanciunas, C 26 MIN | 7-10 FG | 0-1 FT | 12 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 2 BLK | 0 TO | 14 PTS | +8 +/-Really solid work. Steady work on the glass, good touch around the rim and made himself useful whenever possible, either with timely blocks or johnny-on-the-spot putbacks. Side note: Jonas Sr. is shooting 65 percent since he became a dad. That’s a pretty good case for a few extra touches here or there, right? |  | |||||||
 | Kyle Lowry, PG 38 MIN | 7-13 FG | 1-3 FT | 11 REB | 10 AST | 3 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 20 PTS | +28 +/-Dude was a monster. Still not fully engaged defensively, as he allowed George Hill to loot as he pleased in the paint. But everything else was there. His spot-up 3-pointers were dead-on, he pushed the pace effectively and helped out on the defensive glass. A sight for sore eyes. |  | |||||||
 | DeMar DeRozan, SG 37 MIN | 6-19 FG | 10-11 FT | 3 REB | 3 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 22 PTS | +12 +/-Came on strong after an abysmal 5-of-15 shooting performance in the first half. Still didn’t shoot it all that well in the second, but he baited the Pacers into enough fouls to help keep the Pacers at bay and the Raptors’ defense set. |  | |||||||
 | Tyler Hansbrough, PF 19 MIN | 1-1 FG | 3-4 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 5 PTS | +8 +/-Great energy off the bench. Finished off a few pick-and-rolls, including a thundering dunk in the second quarter. Didn’t really get on the glass, but was instrumental in boxing out, allowing guards like Lowry to pick up the boxscore tallies. |  | |||||||
 | Patrick Patterson, PF 22 MIN | 1-1 FG | 2-2 FT | 7 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 4 PTS | +5 +/-Looked a bit slow in the first quarter, before coming on strong for the rest of the game. Didn’t really ever look to shoot, but the Pacers closed out hard on him anyway. When that happened, Patterson was effective in putting the ball on the floor and forcing defensive rotations. | | |||||||
 | Greivis Vasquez, PG 25 MIN | 3-8 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 3 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 2 TO | 8 PTS | +5 +/-A couple of YOLO threes which really made you shake your head, but he had a few makes that really helped swing the momentum. Ran the pick-and-roll well, especially considering he was working with Hansbrough most of the time. Let’s not discuss his defense. | | |||||||
 | Louis Williams, SG 23 MIN | 8-17 FG | 7-7 FT | 3 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 24 PTS | 0 +/-Three times he isolated to end quarters, and three times he missed. Aside from that, he took every shot given (or not given) to him and was hot. It was one of those games. But the thinking and process behind his attempts were questionable. | | |||||||
 | Dwane Casey No real complaints. He could have given his starters a bit of extra rest by subbing them out earlier in the fourth and he could have called a play or two on those wild Lou Williams isos. But his rotations were solid and did well in managing a short wing rotation without Ross in the second half. Great call in pushing the pace (see below). | | |||||||
Three Things We Saw
- The Raptors made a concerted effort to push the pace, which really helped the Raptors net easy baskets before the Pacers could set up their formidable half-court defense. Lowry and Williams were instrumental in this regard. The Raptors scored 28 points on the fast break and hung the second-highest scoring output on Indiana this season.
- DeRozan was really frustrated at the officials in the first half. That led him to attempt harder and harder shots, in hopes of drawing fouls on mindless drives. When the calls didn’t go his way, it led to awkward jumpers and wild floaters. It also led to a technical on DeRozan after he screamed at a ref after throwing down an alley oop. Luckily, he simmered down in the second half and made smarter decisions.
- It’s nice to see the Raptors bounce back on the second night of a back-to-back. The Pacers have been on a roll of late, and a loss for the Raptors was entirely possible. But they came out and executed a clever game plan.
