Raptors at Pacers
Toronto's All-Star backcourt showed signs of life and the Raptors will
again count on the duo when they visit the Indiana Pacers in Saturday's
Game 4 of the first-round series. Guards Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan
each scored 21 points on Thursday as the Raptors posted a 101-85 victory
for a 2-1 lead and another win on Indiana's home floor would leave the
seventh-seeded Pacers in a serious hole.
DeRozan scored 12 points in the first quarter in Game 3 as he quickly set the tone that he was going to erase the 10-of-37 shooting funk he experienced in the first two games. Lowry also was more at ease while putting a 7-of-26 start to the series behind him as second-seeded Toronto finally looked like the team that won a franchise-record 56 games in the regular season. "We're playing more to our identity," Raptors coach Dwane Casey told reporters. "I don't think in Game 1 we played to our identity and even Game 2. There's so many things we can do better. I won't be happy until we (advance)." Indiana All-Star forward Paul George had 25 points, 10 rebounds and six assists and once again carried his club, but he suffered through a 6-of-19 shooting effort.
TV: 3 p.m. ET, TNT, Sportsnet One (Toronto), FSN Indiana
ABOUT THE RAPTORS: DeRozan was breathing a sigh of relief after Game 3 as he rebounded from a benching in the fourth quarter of Game 2 to have his best game of the series. "We just have to keep building, keep continuing to get better at both ends," DeRozan told reporters. "(This series) is going to be tough. But that's why we take it so serious when we are at practice, at shootaround and watching film." Center Jonas Valanciunas had 14 boards in Game 3 and he has been a rebounding dynamo by averaging a league-wide postseason best 16 rebounds.
ABOUT THE PACERS: George is averaging 28.7 points in the series and being blown out at home was deeply disappointing to him. "We didn't do our job," George told reporters. "It sucks. We didn't take care of business on our home court. We were in the driver's seat. We have to stay positive. Still have a chance to even this up 2-2, make it a best out of three series." Indiana coach Frank Vogel cited the 17 turnovers as a major issue and allowed that the Raptors "outplayed us in all aspects of the game."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Raptors have collected 47 offensive rebounds - 20 by Valanciunas - in the first three games.
2. Indiana SG Monta Ellis had just seven points in Game 3 and is averaging 12.3 points in the series.
3. Toronto backup SF Terrence Ross cleared the NBA's concussion protocol and had five points in 10 minutes in Game 3.