The Toronto Raptors beat the Indiana Pacers 111-98 on Friday Night behind 27 points from rookie sensation Norman Powell. On the second night of a back-to-back, the Raptors rested 3 of their starters as well as recently healed DeMarre Carroll. The Pacers, who hold the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference, looked lazy and undetermined as the Raptors took the game to their potential first round opponent in the 2016 NBA Playoffs. By the end of the game the Pacers had other concerns as Paul George left the game in the fourth quarter after tripping over his own feet and suffering what appeared to be an ankle injury.
JJ playing H.O.R.S.E. #RTZ https://t.co/G3oATTSMGj
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 9, 2016
Post Game Report Card:
Offence: A-
Despite the absence of several key players the Raptors were on the mark from downtown knocking down 10 of 22 threes and making 38 visits to the charity stripe while shooting an efficient 71% there. The rookie duo of Powell and Delon Wright were absolutely sensational as they combined for 36 points and 27 of the Raptors’ trips to the line. They were also a combined 4 of 6 from downtown. Canadian Cory Joseph was also terrific in another start in place of Kyle Lowry as he dished out 9 assists and was a perfect 8 of 8 from the field, including 2 threes. His brand-new facial mask seemed to be working for him tonight. The only knock on the Raptors offence was discipline. The Raptors committed 16 turnovers, which could mildly be attributed to the young point-guard rotation used tonight.
? #RTZ https://t.co/niLL3TStKx
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 9, 2016
Defence: B
The Raptors held their opponent under 100 points for the third straight game and limited the Pacers to just 8 threes on the night. They were also able to limit George to just 14 points in 27 minutes, although it seemed for most of the game he was not 100%. The Raptors have done an impressive job on George throughout the year, which could be a confidence booster for fans come playoff time. However, the offence was most reliable in this game as the Raptors allowed 40 points in the paint and were poor in transition, allowing 28 fast break points. They also allowed 26 three-point attempts and were fortunate that the Pacers were off as many of these attempts were open jumpers. Perimeter defence was also an issue in the first half of the game against the Charlotte Hornets two nights ago.
Rebounding: A-
What was most impressive about the rebounding tonight was how spread out it was on the stat sheet. Powell and Jason Thompson led the way with 6 rebounds apiece. Wright also had 4 boards himself and having your guards get on the glass is a good sign that your team is doing a good job forcing long jumpers and closing out defensive possessions. The Raptors did, however, allow 9 offensive rebounds, which led to 11 second-chance points. Most of these boards came from energetic forward Lavoy Allen for the Pacers and the Raptors will need to do a better job of boxing out big men throughout their rotation.
Check the hang time. #RTZ https://t.co/OmMb7cDpNL
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 9, 2016
Game Ball: Norman Powell
Powell continues to be the ‘steal of the draft’ for the Raptors as he logged a game-high 41 minutes and led his team offensively with 27 points. Most impressive (but not surprising) was his aggressive as he went to the line 19 times and knocked down 14 free throws. He was also 3-4 from the three-point line demonstrating perimeter shooting as another part of his offensive arsenal. Of course he was a dog defensively securing 6 defensive rebounds and he formed a great partnership with fellow rookie Delon Wright. As we have seen all season, the kids are alright for the Toronto Raptors.
All stats from this article are from tsn.ca
