The Toronto Raptors barely escape the Indiana Pacers in overtime, 101-94, with Bismack Biyombo setting a franchise-record grabbing 25 rebounds and scoring a career-high 16 points.
With 16.9 seconds left in the fourth quarter, a seemingly tired Kyle Lowry turned the ball over to Monta Ellis, who was quickly sent to the charity stripe by Patrick Patterson. Ellis split the free throws, tying the game at 85 with 14.2 seconds remaining.
At the Pacers’ side of the floor, DeMar DeRozan let the clock wind down until he made his move to the right wing. Here, he was forced to take a fading jumper that barely grazed the rim. Overtime.
Lowry was quick to erase the late-game mistake by scoring eight of Toronto’s 16 overtime points. DeRozan, Patterson and Terrence Ross scored the remaining points to give the Raptors enough breathing room to close out the game.
Offence: C
Lowry and DeRozan both scored 28 points each; with Lowry shooting 8-21 and DeRozan shooting 9-26 from the field. Biyombo was able to score a career-high 16 points on 5-6 shooting.
The rest of the offence was rather weak tonight as the Raptors shot a measly 36.4 per cent from the field and were 7-22 from beyond the arc. The Pacers weren’t much better as they shot 38.5 per cent from the field and were 8-28 from three.
Overtime is where the Raptors offence took control. Kyle Lowry was able to score eight of the team’s 16 points, pushing the team to a victory. DeRozan and Ross both made crucial free throws down the stretch, but the real comeback-killer was Patterson’s jam to extend the lead to six (this was PPat’s only made field goal of the game):
That's how you seal a game P☘t. #WeTheNorth https://t.co/C9SrDJYcoZ
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 18, 2016
Defence: C+
While they did hold the Pacers to under 100 points, the only highlight of the Raptors defence was Bismack Biyombo grabbing 16 defensive rebounds. The Raptors allowed for five Pacers to reach double figures in points.
They did give up a few and-one plays that kept Indiana in the game and there were lapses on defense that allowed for uncontested Pacers shots for Paul George, Jordan Hill, and this buzzer-beater from George Hill to end the first half:
.@George_Hill3's buzzer beater to end the first half ⏰ (on @FSIndiana): https://t.co/tnmSHcPrpU
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) March 18, 2016
In overtime, Toronto’s defence had some luck as Indiana missed wide-open shots from beyond the arc that would have pulled them back into the game. Jordan Hill and C.J. Miles each scored once from beyond the arc, but it wasn’t enough for the Pacers to mount a comeback.
Rebounding: A+
One of tonight’s keys was handling the defensive glass. In the previous meeting between these two teams last December, Jordan Hill grabbed 13 rebounds – four of which were on the offensive glass – helping Indiana blowout the Raptors, 106-90.
Bismack Biyombo undoubtedly answered the call, as he set the Raptors record for most rebounds in a game with 25. The previous holder of that record: Donyell Marshall with 24 rebounds.
Biyombo’s contributions on the glass were enough to give Toronto the slightest of edges, giving them enough power to secure a win .
Game Ball: Bismack Biyombo
Bismack Biyombo, the Biz, BB-8, whatever you call him, he was tonight’s game ball. He ended the game on a double-double, scoring a career-high 16 points and grabbing a franchise-record 25 rebounds.
His nine offensive rebounds helped him get to the charity stripe where, although he went 6-11, scored points that proved to be crucial near the end of the game.
With Jonas Valanciunas out with a left hand contusion, fans worry about whether or not Biyombo is capable of filling his spot. It’s safe to say that after tonight, Biyombo can take care of business.
