DeRozan finished with 34 points and Kyle Lowry added 14 points, four rebounds and five assists.
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He scored 37 points within the first three quarters, but was held to just two points in the fourth due to a myriad of defensive switches by the Raptors. “Once again, we failed to live up to that moment”.
Toronto’s bench was huge in their run, and Biyombo, Corey Joseph and Norman Powell all came up big. With 2.7 seconds left, in need of a 3-pointer, the Pacers inbounded the ball to George, who was met with a double-team.
Raptors coach Dwayne Casey sent out a small and unfamiliar lineup in the fourth, and it apparently worked, as Toronto went on a 21-2 tear to start the final quarter, ripping the series back in their favour. When Powell pounced on a Pacers turnover and finished with a thunderous dunk to even it up at 92-92 with 6:31 to play, the Air Canada Centre crowd went nuts.
Biyombo said: “We stuck together, we played defence like a team, and I am glad we got the win”.
IN had looked the more polished side throughout the opening half, with George scoring 22 of his points in the first two quarters. He checked back in with 8:36 left.
In fairness – not that Drake is concerned about such things – George had a terrific game. “I thought he did it within the rhythm of the offense, within the rhythm of the game”. “In my mind, I didn’t think he knew what he was going to do. They had a tough stretch there”.
DeMar DeRozan finally turned in the All-Star effort Toronto has been waiting for in the playoffs. The 2015-16 version of the Toronto Raptors won 56 regular-season games, the most ever for a franchise that’s been around since 1995.
Toronto cut the lead down to just five in the second quarter before Paul George subbed back in and shredded the Raptors. Video replay proved that the ball came out of his hand just a tenth of a second too early. Solo simply doesn’t have the acumen to understand how to take that shot quickly enough. There is no place for this type of play in basketball and it has already happened a few times this postseason. “We played well. We just fell short”. It’s going to be a fun time watching him sweat out a tight Game 7 this weekend.
Among those impressed by Toronto’s comeback was Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, who sent out multiple tweets congratulating the Raptors on their “miraculous” victory.
The Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers are both returning to their home courts trailing 3-2 in their respective series after suffering tough Game 5 losses. It appeared that Lowry hooked George’s arm when he was falling over in what one could only assume was an attempt to hurt him. “(Stuckey’s) shoes went out and he stepped out of bounds and ran over Drake”, Casey said.
Drake, who is a Toronto native and integral part of the city’s professional sports teams, posted a meme on Instagram showing George with a tear on his face.
However, the second and third quarter was a different story altogether.
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Raptors: Patrick Patterson made his first start of the series, replacing Luis Scola.
