Raptors blow huge first-quarter lead, fall to Pacers | Toronto Sun
For six minutes the Raptors could do no wrong. It was the next 18 minutes that sunk them. And then the next 24 after that which sealed the deal as the Raptors four-game winning streak came to an end in a weird 106-90 loss. Yes, the Raptors were on the back end of a back-to-back and the Pacers were rested having not played since Saturday but the wasted early effort buy the Raptors only makes it sting more. Up by 21 halfway through the first quarter, everything seemed to be coming easy for the Raptors. But after a Kyle Lowry step-back jumper that put them up 21, 22 points over a span of 5:40 before the Raptors found the bottom of the basket again on a Terrence Ross bucket.
Raptors fail to keep pace in Indianapolis | Toronto Star
To step back and look at it objectively, that first quarter was incredible. The first six minutes of play showed the Raptors at their absolute best. Kyle Lowry hit his first two three-pointers en route to a 20-point night and was engineering a gorgeous offence. DeMar DeRozan (also 20 points) showed a Kobe-esque mid-range game, smoothly knocking in jumpers and drawing contact on any defender that left his feet. Luis Scola was scoring easy buckets at the expense of the team that let the 35-year-old walk as a free-agent last summer. It was 26-5 and the 16,598 fans in the building were stunned. Then just as quickly as it was built, everything crumbled. The lead was gone before the end of the quarter, as a harmless looking couple of baskets morphed into a 22-0 run. The Raptors lead was swallowed up for good as the Pacers ran off an incredible 42-6 run that grew to a 52-41 halftime advantage.
Game Rap: Raptors 90, Pacers 106 | Toronto Raptors
The Raptors got off to a fantastic start against the Pacers, jumping out to a quick 26-5 lead. Thanks to turnovers and Indiana stepping up their energy on the defensive end, things quickly unraveled for Toronto and the Pacers reeled off a 22-0 run to get back into the game as part of a larger 39-4 run to blow the game open.
Raptors waste dominant start in 106-90 loss to Pacers | Raptors HQ
With an overmatched Luis Scola attempting to guard him, C.J. Miles made sure the Raptors didn’t gain any hope to start the third, answering seemingly every successful DeRozan jumper with a bucket of his own as Indiana pushed its lead to 18. A questionable flagrant foul on George Hill and an early trip into the bonus helped the Raptors temporarily stay within striking distance. DeRozan nailed a three at the third-quarter buzzer to trim the deficit to nine heading into the final quarter. But there was no fourth-quarter comeback in store for the Raptors as Paul George, who had a quiet night by his standards, provided the dagger, hitting a three-pointer to put Indiana up by 17 with 7:30 to play.
Game Rewind: Pacers 106, Raptors 90 | Indiana Pacers
The Raptors started the game 10-for-12, but only made 19 of their next 69 shots (28.4 percent) the rest of the way. Hill matched his season high with 20 points and set a new season high with 13 rebounds. Indiana is now 4-0 when he records a double-double and 8-3 when he scores in double figures. Lavoy Allen excelled playing alongside Hill in the Pacers’ frontcourt, tallying eight points, 10 rebounds (five offensive), and four assists in 29:41 off the bench. The uneven start to Wednesday’s contest created some goofy plus/minus numbers for the Pacers. The team’s reserves posted exceptional numbers: Stuckey finished the night at a jaw-dropping +42, Allen was +38, and Hill was +27.
Indiana Pacers Rally from 21-Point Deficit, Win in Rout | 8 Points 9 Seconds
That run continued… into a 39-4 run. The Pacers went on a 35-point swing, going from down 21, then lead by 14. That was rather amazing. The body language looked so bad after the Raptors run, much like it had in the recent losses. The real beauty of that run in no single player really fueled it, though Monta Ellis and Jordan Hill were key contributors. Despite cutting the lead to single digits in the 3rd quarter, the lead would swell to as much 25 in the 4th quarter, a full 46-point swing.
Pacers’ defense steps up in bounce back win over Raptors | Indy Cornrows
The sudden improvement from Indiana came once Rodney Stuckey entered action, but continued with the somewhat maligned bench bigs of Lavoy Allen and Jordan Hill. The three led a 47-point bench mob night, holding Toronto to 25 points including a late garbage time run. Hill led all Pacers with a 20 point, 13 rebound double double, playing one of his best games as a Pacer. Allen had a near double double of his own, scoring eights and pulling in 10 rebounds. Combined, Hill and Allen had 10 of Indiana’s 11 offensive boards, creating 11 second chance points. Stuckey also reached double figures with 10 points on 5-7 shooting.
Pacers stumble out of the gate, then blow by Raptors | Indy Star
Saddled with a 21-point deficit, the Pacers responded by steadying their defense and quickening their pace. The consecutive buckets by Rodney Stuckey (a 17-footer), Monta Ellis (a layup turned into a 3-point play) and George (a long triple) turned a trickle into a flood. “I think they (weren’t) making shots, so it was easy for us to get in transition,” said George, who had five fouls and played less than 24 minutes. “It was easy for us to kind of strike and come down on the offensive end with some force because shots weren’t going down on their end, which gave us energy.”
Toronto Raptors blow early lead, fall to Pacers | Raptors Cage
If this game only lasted 7 minutes, the Raptors would get an A+ across the board. They came out firing on all cylinders and Demar Derozan and Kyle Lowry got off to insanely fast starts offensively with a 26-5 run. They only scored 64 more points after that start and were not able to get anything going. The bench struggled to score and allowed Indiana to get back into the game, and then the momentum was gone. The Raptors will need to score more to stay with a powerful team like Indiana. Lowry and DeMar scored 20 a piece, but they’ll need to get more offensive help from other options.
Pacers coach Frank Vogel praises Raptors’ Luis Scola | Toronto Sun
It’s not every player in the league who feels comfortable enough to suggest plays that might work mid-game, but Scola has no problem doing it. “Nate McMillan used to be that way in Seattle,” Casey said of another vet who wasn’t hesitant to offer his opinion. “Nate would come into our coach’s meetings with George (Karl).” Casey says Scola hasn’t come into his coach’s meeting yet but he says he’s more than welcome. “Luis is in that group, he’s a vet’s vet,” Casey said. “I’m glad he’s on our team, he’s been a valuable piece for us and whatever he decides to do I hope he’s with us.”
DeRozan Named Eastern Conference Player Of The Week | Toronto Raptors
DeRozan earns the honours for the first time in his seven-year career and becomes the seventh player in team history to be named Player of the Week – Vince Carter (7X), Chris Bosh (7X), Kyle Lowry (2X), Jalen Rose, Mike James and Lou Williams. DeRozan was the leading scorer in three of Toronto’s four victories last week, posting averages of 24.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists. He also shot .517 (31-for-60) from the field and .919 (34-for-37) at the free throw line. DeRozan scored a game
Raptors’ forward DeMar DeRozan earns top weekly conference player honours | Toronto Star
He also shot 51.7 per cent from the field and 91.9 from the free-throw line. DeRozan scored a game-high 28 points Wednesday night in a 97-94 win over San Antonio. He followed it up with 27 points on Friday versus Milwaukee and 25 points on Sunday against Philadelphia to match his career high of three straight games with 25 or more points.
Raptors with opportunity to gain ground in East standings this week | Sportsnet.ca
Next up on Thursday are the Charlotte Hornets, who sit just 1.5 games behind the Raptors in the standings and they might challenge Toronto for the best point guard duo in the league. Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lin combine to average 28.7 points per game. By comparison Kyle Lowry and Cory Joseph average 31.1 points per. Of all of the East teams fighting for supremacy Charlotte has the most stable future as Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Jeremy Lamb and Cody Zeller are all locked up for the foreseeable future as is head coach Steve Clifford who recently agreed to a contract extension. The Hornets will be a team the Raptors are contending with for years.
Raptors Kyle Lowry Having An All-Star Season Again | Pro Bball Report
“(Lowry) is getting good looks, same looks he got (last year), a lot of the same sets we ran last year,” Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said. “I don’t know if it’s the weight loss, conditioning, whatever it is, I just hope he keeps it up because he is shooting the ball very well. Catch and shoot, getting it off quickly, no hesitation. They are not forced. They are within the offensive schemes. In the draw and kick scenarios, (he is) catching it and being decisive with it, so he has been playing really well. “(Lowry) is playing – knock on wood – as well as he’s played since he’s been here. Shooting the ball is one thing he is doing a great job of. I am really happy the way he and DeMar are playing together.
And at the time, not only could the Knicks have gotten rid of their salaries and helped Jackson out when he came here that following spring, but the Knicks would have an extra draft pick; something they gave too many away in the past; like in the Andrea Bargnani trade with Toronto. Now, Lowry was also a free agent to be that summer and he could have left as a free agent, leaving the Knicks only with the draft pick, which would have been good in the future, but ultimately, Lowry stayed in Toronto and chose to stay over joining the then Eastern Conference Champions, Miami Heat. If Lowry had came to the Knicks, he too could have decided to stay and sign back; given Jackson’s power of persuasion and Zen Master abilities, Lowry could have been locked up for a long time and paired with Anthony as sold to him as a solid duo The bottom line; the Knicks whiffed on that one, big time. And it’s why Dolan should never be allowed to tamper with anything basketball operations related as long as he is the owner of the team. Yes, he signs paychecks and owns everything, but that’s as far as it should go with him.
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