Indiana Pacers vs. Toronto Raptors: Live Score, Analysis for Game 2

An inspired defensive effort, early dominance from Jonas Valanciunas and key bench contributions lifted the Toronto Raptors to a 98-87 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference first-round series. Both teams now have one win apiece as the series shifts to Indianapolis.

Early on, it looked like the Raptors might win in a blowout. They took a 21-7 lead on the strength of an energized defense and Valanciunas, who had 13 points and seven rebounds in the first quarter. However, Indiana fought back behind Paul George and Monta Ellis, trimming the deficit to just five points by halftime.

As the third and fourth quarters rolled on, though, there were too many Raptors playing at a high level on both ends of the floor. Kyle Lowry ended shooting just 4-of-13 from the field, but had 18 points, seven rebounds and nine assists. The bench combination of Patrick Patterson and Cory Joseph was also key, with the two combining for 30 points, seven rebounds and four assists on 11-of-14 shooting.

George was once again the biggest reason Indiana had any success. The star forward notched 28 points on 8-of-15 shooting while harassing DeMar DeRozan into another terrible offensive game (5-of-18 shooting for 10 points).

Game 3 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse will be played Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Indiana will hope to find a way to overcome the energy of Toronto's defense, while the Raptors will try to transfer the defensive formula they found in Game 2 to a less familiar locale.