The Toronto Raptors edged out a narrow win against the Indiana Pacers in game seven of their first round matchup. After six strange games featuring five blowouts, game seven was one for the ages, featuring body blows and a huge comeback. But Toronto was able to use its superior talent for the 89-84 win to finish out the series and set up a second round series against Miami.
Game seven started off with a bang with both teams simultaneously showing revamped offenses. For seemingly the first time all series, both teams’ offenses were clicking at the same time with Paul George and DeMar DeRozan trading shots on either end of the floor. But while George continued his play through both quarters (while playing 22 of 24 minutes) DeRozan returned to his series-long struggles.
Kyle Lowry, meanwhile, struggled once again, perhaps due to a lingering elbow issue that seemed to bother him during the game. He did contribute through his play-making and defense, however, making him an invaluable part of the Raptors despite his poor shooting.
Where the Raptors received help was from their rookie Norman Powell. The second rounder has been a revelation all year and especially during this series. But he was nothing short of phenomenal in the first half with his shooting, defense, passing, and hustle all gave the Raptors 14 huge minutes, allowing them to take a 50-44 lead into halftime.
The Raptors started to pull away early in the third, however, starting that quarter on an 11-2 run to push the lead to double digits. With Patrick Patterson and DeMarre Carroll finding their shooting touch, Toronto’s offense opened up.
More importantly, the Raptors’ star woke up late in the quarter, racking off eleven straight at one point, with fourteen total in the quarter. Despite the Pacers’ best efforts, they were not able to contain the shooting guard.
The Pacers hung around early in the fourth and were able to make a monstrous comeback effort late in the game but ultimately were not able to get past the deficit. The Raptors were able to keep the lead with Powell continuing his hot shooting, Cory Joseph leading the bench unit as he did all season, and Bismack Biyombo’s combination of defense and rebounding keeping Indiana at bay. Powell and Biyombo being taken out of the game gave the Pacers just enough momentum to fly back into the game. But in the end, they were able to make just enough plays (and get the benefit of the doubt on some major no-calls at the end of the game) to edge out the win.
Toronto moves on to the second for just the second time in franchise history and secured their first seven-game series win.
DeRozan finished with 30 points (10-32), five rebounds, two assists, three steals, and two blocks. Powell contributed with 13 points (5-6), three rebounds, one steal, and one block.
The Raptors now move on to face the Miami Heat in what should be a spectacular and exciting series for the right to reach the conference finals. They were not nearly at their best against Indiana and their struggles are concerning, but they were the second seed for a reason and should still be able to put up a great fight.
