For Indiana, Paul George scored 39 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and dished out 8 dimes on 11 of 19 shooting but it was not enough. One problem: His fourth and final make from beyond the arc didn’t count. However, George was unable to prevent his Pacers, who had a 17-point lead and never trailed through the first three quarters, from hitting the precipice of playoff elimination. A 102-99 victory. A 3-2 lead in the series.
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Powell’s slam helped the Raptors take momentum in the fourth quarter when the Pacers completely collapsed and led to the team getting the win. 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.
DeRozan had six points and Bismack Biyombo added four points and two rebounds off the bench for the Raptors.
Toronto rattled off a miraculous 23-2 run between the point where there were 34 seconds left in the third until there was 2:43 left in the fourth. And Game 5 didn’t seem like it was going to be any different – they started the game 6-for-34. Needless to say, we highly recommend clearing your schedule.
George didn’t want to point fingers, but does believe there’s another level the second unit can take it to.
“In my mind, I didn’t think he knew what he was going to do”, Patterson said. George was being defended and had a chance to pop a three-pointer, but with a second defender closing in on him for the double-team, he chose to pass to teammate Solomon Hill rather than attempt a contested shot.
The Toronto Raptors would have a final scare in the dying seconds of the game. “People made fun of me because I said we’re going to ride with the guys that brought us here, that won us 56 games in the regular-season”. It’s starting to get chippy and that likely won’t change entering tonight’s Game 5. “He is a tough matchup and I thought Norm did a great job”. They can’t hope for Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan to have a bad game as they did in game four when the Pacers handled their own at home and tied the series in game four. – Damian Lillard had 32 points and CJ McCollum finished with 27 points, as Portland’s backcourt duo finally found their shooting stroke after two rough games in Los Angeles.
“(George) looked pretty gassed at the end of the third. If the Pacers win Game 6 Friday night against the Raptors, Game 7 will be played Sunday in Toronto.
There was zero sign of stage fright Tuesday night, when the Raptors rookie swiped the ball off Pacers star Paul George, and took flight for a massive one-handed dunk.
The thing is, the Pacers played like the better team all the way up until the fourth quarter when they suffered their absolute collapse leading to a heartbreaking loss and a 3-2 series lead for the Raptors.
With a quarter to go in Game 5, the Raptors season was on the verge of slipping away.
It was a night to forget for Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas who was jeered at every turn by a fiercely partisan Hawks crowd.
In the past the National Basketball Association was rumored to have issues with Drake’s involvement with the Raptors, but they have yet to comment on this situation yet.
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George said that if he does play all 48 minutes Friday, the conversation about his playing time would happen during the game, not before it.
