“It’s all about patience, ” DeRozan said. You can’t get caught up in what we led at what time or anything like that. You’ve got to stay the course.
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The emphasis on the team game still wasn’t there (only two assists on the game), but if he is scoring, it opens up so much for the rest of his teammates.
Bismack Biyombo had 10 points and 16 rebounds for the second-seeded Raptors, who can clinch the first seven-game playoff series victory in franchise history by beating the Pacers in IN on Friday night. Trailing 90-77 with one quarter to play in Game 5, the Toronto Raptors were going to lose Game 5 at home to the Indiana Pacers then give away Game 6 on the road, once more failing to advance past the first round of the playoffs. Jonas Valanciunas chipped in with 11 points, while Norman Powell had 10.
IN scored only nine points in the entire fourth quarter, and seven of those came in the final two minutes of the game. “I thought we played a little nervous, a little tight, on our heels”. For more context, Paul George had torched the Raptors for 37 points in the first 3 quarters. He checked back in with 8:36 left. Also, the two-year drought of missing the semis will be over for the DeMar DeRozan-Kyle Lowry era. Hill and his not-relative Solomon Hill are the only other players producing points at an above average rate.
Pacers: George picked up a technical foul after a minor scuffle with Lowry early in the third quarter. “Whatever we got to do to win, I’m doing it”.
I did. Chose to trust those guys. “They had a tough stretch there”. After a missed three by Ellis, Cory Joseph hit another three for Toronto, putting the Raptors up 98-92 with 3:26 left.
In Game 5, the Pacers were once again on their way to exposing the Raptors’ tendency to wilt in the playoffs, leading from the opening tip onward through the game’s first three quarters. Pacers players threw their arms up in celebration when Hill’s shot from the left side went through the net, but video replay confirmed that the shot came too late.
Moments after his media scrum ended, Powell confirmed to Courtney Charles, the Raptors’ director of basketball operations/player development that a windmill dunk was his plan. “We played well. We just fell short”. That five-man unit, one that technically features Terrence Ross as a power forward, did not play together for a single second all season or in the playoffs to date.
The Toronto Raptors now have a cushion in this first-round series, although they don’t want to think about that as they go back on the road. Stuckey shot 1-for-10 from the field and had three turnovers in 22 minutes of play Tuesday night. And Paul George is the best player in the series, something that comes as no surprise.
“One night, one guy might not have it”, Casey said. They’re going to change the game, different lineup, more pressure, more 3’s, quicker shots. The Pacers hit 13 threes to the Raptors’ six.
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Raptors: Patrick Patterson made his first start of the series, replacing Luis Scola….
