In a battle of Eastern Conference powerhouses, the Toronto Raptors got off to a blazing start, leading by 21 early in the 4th quarter over the Indiana Pacers. But a lead that was once 26-5 disappeared, as the Pacers went on a 39-4 run immediately following to take a lead that they did not look back from to win 106-90. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan got off to fast starts, but they could not respond to a relentless scoring attack from the Pacers lead by CJ Miles, Monta Ellis, Jordan Hill and Paul George.
Lets get to the report card.
Offense: D
If this game only lasted 7 minutes, the Raptors would get an A+ across the board. They came out firing on all cylinders and Demar Derozan and Kyle Lowry got off to insanely fast starts offensively with a 26-5 run. They only scored 64 more points after that start and were not able to get anything going. The bench struggled to score and allowed Indiana to get back into the game, and then the momentum was gone. The Raptors will need to score more to stay with a powerful team like Indiana. Lowry and DeMar scored 20 a piece, but they’ll need to get more offensive help from other options.
Defense: D
Again, if this was a 7 minute game they’d be seeing an A. But after the 26-5 run, the Pacers went on a 39-4 run to begin to put the Raptors to bed. They ended up giving up 106 points to the Pacers, lead by a team high 20 from Jordan Hill. Five Pacers scored in double figures.
Rebounding: B
If there is a positive from this game, it is that the Raptors were able to out-rebound the Pacers 45-44. It was by a slim margin, but as always Bismack Biyombo showed up on the glass with 13 boards. No other Raptor had more than 5.
Game Ball: Jordan Hill
This one could have gone to several Pacers. Ellis, George and CJ Miles all played key roles in this game for Indiana. But with 20 points and 13 rebounds in 31 minutes off the bench, Jordan Hill was too much for the Raptors’ reserves to handle, leading to a massive game for Jordan Hill in this Indiana Victory.
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