The Toronto Raptors fall to the Indiana Pacers in Game 6, 101-83. The Pacers avoid elimination and force a Game 7 on Sunday at 8 p.m.
DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry struggled from the field once again. DeRozan scoring eight points on 3-13 shooting and Lowry scoring 10 points on 4-14 shooting. Lowry did earn himself a double-double (10 points, 10 assists), but it wasn’t enough to mount a victory.
The Pacers absolutely dominated the second half, outscoring the Raptors 61-39. All five of Indiana’s starters scored in double digits. Paul George earned himself a double-double (21 points, 11 rebounds).
Offence: D
The Raptors came out of the gates hot, ending the first half with a 44-40 lead. But the second half is where the offence stagnated. Turnovers proved to be another issue with the Raptors. Toronto turned the ball over 17 times, resulting in 20 points for Indiana.
Another issue was the Pacers defence: throughout the series, Indiana has been able to clog the paint, preventing drives to the lane or opportunities in the post. Tonight was no different.
DeRozan failed to get into any kind of rhythm the entire game. When he drew multiple defenders, he took low-percentage shots instead of passing to the open man. Jonas Valanciunas (14 points, 9 rebounds) failed to establish a paint presence due to constant double-teaming or failure to draw fouls.
Defence: D
In the second half, the Raptors absolutely collapsed on the defensive end. Indiana scored at least 30 points in the third and fourth quarters- eliminating any hope for another Game 5-esque comeback.
The Pacers were able to confuse the Raptors rotations, allowing them to find the open man. A good example is here: Rodney Stuckey completely fakes out Cory Joseph and finds Myles Turner who scores and draws the foul.
.@Pacers now up 19 on NBATV! #NBARapidReplay #RAPTORSvPACERS https://t.co/t9BRQPQjUP
— NBA (@NBA) April 30, 2016
Indiana also made the Raptors pay in transition:
Solo. ? https://t.co/FATnONJ1Dr
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) April 30, 2016
Rebounding: B-
The Raptors were able to take care of the glass tonight, despite losing that category. The Raptors grabbed 40 total rebounds (25 defensive, 15 offensive) while the Pacers grabbed 44 (32 defensive, 12 offensive). Bismack Biyombo led the team in that category with 10.
In the moments where the Raptors failed to get defensive rebounds, Indiana made them pay. In the moments where the Raptors grabbed an offensive board, they could not capitalize. If the Raptors hope to win on Sunday, they need to make sure this part of their game is airtight.
Game Ball: Myles Turner
Turner made sure this series would go all the way with his play tonight. 15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks and a steal for the rookie.
His mid-range game allowed him to spread the Raptors defence and his height, 6’11”, provided a good paint presence, forcing Toronto to play the mid-range or perimeter.
Since earning the start, Turner’s consistency has been a pillar for Indiana. Tonight, he came out to play, earning him tonight’s game ball.
1 thought on “Post Game Report Card: Raptors fall to the Pacers, Game 7 on Sunday”