The Toronto Raptors avenged their game one upset loss on Monday as they beat Paul George and the Indiana Pacers by a final score of 98-87.
The first quarter saw a dominant performance from Jonas Valanciunas. The Raptors center came out strong to lead the Raptors to a quick lead. Scoring in a variety of ways and defending at a higher level than what we have been accustomed to, Valanciunas affected the game early and often. He finished the quarter with 16 points and 7 rebounds, adding a block on the defensive end while shooting 6-7 from the field. His efforts saw the hungry Raptors rush out to a 27-16 lead at the end of the quarter, tight sphincters and all.
The Pacers received some help in the last three minutes of the quarter from rookie Myles Turner whose athleticism on both defense and offense allowed the Pacers to close strong and stay in the game.
The first quarter also saw a notable change in strategy from Pacers head coach Dwane Casey. Early in the quarter, he inserted Patrick Patterson into the game to replace power forward Luis Scola. The move added a better and more versatile defender without sacrificing any of offensive benefits of having Scola on the floor.
The second quarter, however, was a look back at the first game in the series. Taking strong performances from Paul George (who had 10 of his 28 points including seven in a row at one point) and Monta Ellis, the Pacers scored 32 points in the quarter, trimming the Raptors lead to just five by halftime.
Both Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan struggled with their shooting again in the first half of game two. Both, however, were able to add some playmaking especially in getting the ball to Valanciunas while Lowry continued to play his notable strong defense. Lowry’s screen-setting abilities on offense were especially useful in getting mismatches and good looks for his teammates.
The second half started with better shooting from the Raptors backcourt as both DeRozan and Lowry mixed in drives to the rim with mid-range jumpers to get their games going. However, their combined efforts had to match that of Paul George who once again caught fire scoring another eleven points in the third quarter.
The Raptors bench was the true catalyst in the fourth quarter with a lineup of Lowry, Cory Joseph, Norm Powell, Patterson, and Bismack Biyombo pushing the lead up against the Pacers’ bench. A similar unit with Lowry as the sole starter had a similar effect early in the second quarter.
Joseph and Patterson in particular led the charge from the bench with 16 and 14 points, respectively. Their efficient scoring allowed Toronto to manage low-scoring games from their star back-court duo as well as second half foul trouble for Valanciunas. They were aided by an all-around effort from Lowry who woke up in the fourth to lead his team on both ends of the floor.
Lowry finished with 18 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds, and 1 steal, impacting the game despite shooting only 4-13.
In the end, the Raptors used a huge surge in the fourth quarter with their bench and Kyle Lowry out-scoring and out-playing the Pacers without Paul George to get the victory. They led nearly the entire game, getting it at the 8:41 mark of the first quarter and never letting go.
Game three in Indiana will be played Thursday, April 21 at 7:30 PM and will be televised through NBA TV.
