Pacers vs. Raptors: Game 1 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2016 NBA Playoffs
Panic in Canada has already set in, as the Indiana Pacers took a 1-0 series lead over the Toronto Raptors with a 100-90 road win in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals Saturday.
Neither team shot the ball particularly well—both clubs were under 40 percent at halftime—so the contest remained tight throughout. The Pacers, however, pulled away thanks to Paul George's stellar second half.
Indiana shot just 43 percent overall but was 11-of-21 from three-point range. The Raptors shot 38 percent and hit just four of their 19 attempts from behind the arc.
Toronto had moments in the first half when it appeared likely to build a big cushion. The Raptors held an eight-point advantage two different times in the second quarter, the second of which came on this great transition dunk by Patrick Patterson for a 39-31 lead, via the NBA on Twitter:
As the Raptors seemed to be gaining confidence, the NBA on TNT tweeted the likely celebration in the stands from the franchise's most famous fan:
Sadly for Drake, the Pacers' resolve never wavered. They closed the first half on a 12-6 run to trail by just two at intermission and took their first lead on a George three-pointer early in the third quarter. Their defense limited Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan to 25 combined points, with Lowry particularly sluggish thanks to six turnovers and 3-of-13 shooting.
Indiana, though, did not have an answer inside, especially on the glass, for Jonas Valanciunas. Toronto's center nearly had a double-double in the first half with eight points and 15 rebounds, which ESPN's Brian Windhorst noted was a good sign for the Raptors:
Yet the Pacers defense continued to frustrate Toronto's shooters, and George caught fire in the second half. Indiana's star finished with 33 points, four rebounds and six assists in his first playoff appearance since he broke his leg almost two years ago.
George had 17 of the Pacers' 27 points in the third quarter. His play was a necessity for Indiana, and it prompted this response from SB Nation NBA:
Per ESPN Stats & Info, it was the second-best scoring quarter in a playoff game of George's career:
Even as George struggled on offense early, his defense was an integral part of Indiana's ability to stay in the game. He was the one matched up against DeRozan, and he frustrated Toronto's leading scorer, who finished with just 14 points on 5-of-19 shooting.
George didn't get a lot of scoring help from his teammates, though the Pacers made some great passes to help set up PG-13 on one of his three-pointers in the third quarter, via the NBA:
Ethan J. Skolnick of the Miami Herald took note of George's performance and how it related to his prediction for the series:
The fourth quarter was more intense, and the Raptors started to find a rhythm. With Lowry and DeRozan struggling to make things happen, Terrence Ross provided a brief spark off the bench with a three-pointer that tied the game at 74.
But every time Toronto seemed like it was building momentum, Indiana responded. George Hill hit two of three free throws after Ross tied the game to give Indiana the lead right back.
George hit an off-balance jumper that increased the lead to 84-80 with less than five minutes remaining, and he assisted Myles Turner on a layup 1:12 later to push the Pacers' lead to five.
With less than three minutes remaining, Lowry made a terrible pass while driving to the basket that was stolen by Monta Ellis, and George finished with a pull-up jumper to give the Pacers a 90-82 advantage.
Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star noted how simple the Raptors' path to victory was, but they were unable to follow it:
Though this was just the first game of the series, it was basically Toronto's worst nightmare. The franchise has advanced past the first round only once in seven previous playoff appearances.
The Raptors won a franchise-record 56 games during the regular season and earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. They are playing a solid Indiana team, but the Pacers were erratic during the year en route to a 45-37 record.
Yet Indiana limited Toronto's stars, waited things out until George found his groove and stole a road win to start the series.
There's a long way to go, but the Raptors and their fans should feel uneasy about this loss because of how sloppy their offense looked in front of a raucous home crowd. The Pacers may have been underestimated coming into the playoffs, but their best player carried them when not much else was working on the offensive end.
Postgame Reaction
Despite George's effort, DeRozan placed blame for the loss on the Raptors, per Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports:
DeRozan is probably right that he won't have another shooting night like this, but there was a reason he was out of sync.
Raptors head coach Dwane Casey noted his team's lack of initiative with the ball, per Arthur:
On the winning side, George's turnaround in the second half was the story of the game. He told ESPN.com's Israel Gutierrez that it was all about his approach, per Matt Moore of CBSSports.com:
Pacers head coach Frank Vogel talked about how he helped George come back from his broken leg, via NBA TV:
Vogel's remarks about George and the Pacers understanding there's more work to do were spot on. This win was a nice first step, but it won't mean anything if they don't build on it in Game 2.
