Raptors 95, Pacers 82: DeMar DeRozan tallied 26 points and nine rebounds and Kyle Lowry added 13 points and a season-high 14 assists to lead host Toronto to its fourth straight win.
Terrance Ross scored 18 points and Jonas Valanciunas contributed 13 points and nine rebounds for the Raptors, who have won eight of their last 10 to move 2 1/2 games clear of Boston in the Atlantic Division. Toronto (15-15) scored 32 points off 23 Indiana turnovers while reaching .500 - the first time it has been at or above the break-even mark this late in the season since the 2009-10 campaign.
Roy Hibbert scored 16 points in 21 minutes before fouling out with 3:25 left as the Pacers had their five-game winning streak snapped. Paul George struggled to 12 points on 5-of-14 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds while Danny Granger added 11 off the bench for Indiana.
Indiana tied it at 74 on David West's put-back with 6:58 left but Toronto answered with a quick 6-0 spurt and led the rest of the way. DeRozan scored 10 points over the final 6:05 to help the Raptors put it away.
The Pacers trailed 26-18 after one quarter but turned up the defensive intensity in the second, forcing 10 turnovers while outscoring the Raptors 26-14 to claim a four-point halftime lead. Indiana led by as many as eight in the third quarter before John Salmons scored five points during a 9-0 run over the final 4 1/2 minutes of the period and Toronto took a 66-63 lead into the final stanza.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Toronto outscored Indiana 29-19 in the fourth quarter and has edged its opponents in the final stanza of 10 of its last 12 games. … Lowry has recorded six or more assists in a career-best 22 consecutive games. … Hibbert has recorded five or fewer rebounds in three straight games for the first time since April 9-12, 2010.
Indiana | Toronto | |
Roy Hibbert 16 | Scoring | DeMar DeRozan 26 |
Lance Stephenson 4 | Assists | Kyle Lowry 14 |
Paul George 8 | Rebounds | DeMar DeRozan 9 |
Roy Hibbert 4 | Free Throws Made | DeMar DeRozan 8 |
Ian Mahinmi 3 | Steals | DeMar DeRozan 3 |
Paul George 1 | Blocks | Amir Johnson 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Indiana | 82 | 43.2 | 5-14 | 13-20 | 16 | 36 | 3 | 8 | 23 |
Toronto | 95 | 43.6 | 7-19 | 20-23 | 27 | 39 | 4 | 12 | 17 |