Danny Granger scored nine of his team-high 21 points in the fourth quarter as the Indiana Pacers spoiled Toronto's home opener, holding off the Raptors 90-85 Wednesday night.
After watching a 14-point fourth-quarter lead dwindle to just two, Granger's clutch 3-pointer gave the Pacers some breathing room with 1:14 remaining. Toronto's Amir Johnson turned the ball over on the next possession and the Pacers held on from there to improve to 2-0 on the season.
Paul George added 18 points and David West had 14 to lead Indiana.
DeMar DeRozan had 16 of his game-high 22 points in the final frame while Andrea Bargnani added 21 points in defeat.
Indiana broke open a tight, low-scoring first half with an 8-0 run late - highlighted by a pair of long Tyler Hansbrough jumpers - to take a 38-34 advantage into the break.
The lead grew to as many as 12 points in the third quarter before the Raptors responded, as Leandro Barbosa connected on consecutive shots inside two minutes remaining to move Toronto within eight.
An emphatic Dahntay Jones dunk early in the fourth capped a 6-0 run that put Indiana in front by 14, but the Raptors chipped away until Bargnani's driving layup and subsequent foul shot made it a two-point game with 1:35 remaining.
Indiana | Toronto | |
Danny Granger 21 | Scoring | DeMar DeRozan 22 |
Darren Collison 12 | Assists | Jose Calderon 6 |
Roy Hibbert 10 | Rebounds | Amir Johnson 10 |
Paul George 4 | Free Throws Made | Andrea Bargnani 2 |
Danny Granger 3 | Steals | James Johnson 6 |
Danny Granger 1 | Blocks | Andrea Bargnani 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Indiana | 90 | 39.5 | 7-16 | 19-22 | 20 | 41 | 2 | 10 | 16 |
Toronto | 85 | 45.6 | 6-15 | 7-13 | 21 | 39 | 5 | 13 | 19 |