The Toronto Raptors did what no team with home court advantage wants to do, lose Game 1 of a playoff series at home. Their 100-90 loss to the Pacers on Saturday marks the second straight year the Raptors dropped the first game of the first round of the playoffs at home. This time the 2-seeded Raptors fell to the 7-seeded Indiana Pacers, led by Paul George’s 33 points, 27 of which he scored in the second half.
Most troubling for Toronto was that George single-handedly outscored the Raptors’ All-Star backcourt of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, who combined for just 25 points on 8-of-32 shooting. Lowry also went 1-for-7 from three and committed six turnovers.
Despite their stars not playing well in Game 1, Raptors forward DeMarre Carroll insists that they are
“I don’t think they’re rattled,” DeMarre Carroll said about DeRozan and Lowry. “I think, like I told them after the game, there’s no need to hang your head. They won the first game, that’s all that matters, but it’s the first team that gets to four. It’s a long series and we’re going to need them. We can’t go far without those guys so I think the biggest thing for us to keep giving them confidence and they’ll show up. They’re all-stars for a reason.”
Sound advice from Carroll, who made a run to the Conference Finals with the Hawks last season, and a good sign for Toronto if their star backcourt doesn’t appear flustered or discouraged. After all, there’s more than enough time to make up ground. This is still the playoffs, where best-of-seven means the first game is only one game. There’s no reason to be rattled.
But Lowry and DeRozan now face a great challenge as leaders and as a duo. The Pacers challenged them to be exceptional and they didn’t answer the call in Game 1. Paul George and George Hill specifically made things difficult for DeRozan and Lowry with their sound defense. You always look for star players to bounce back after a poor performance, and more than ever, the microscope will be on Lowry and DeRozan in a must-win Game 2 scenario on Monday night.
