98
100
Friday, February 8th at 7:00 PM EST at Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Game Recap: IND 98, TOR 100
Scott Agness | February 8, 2013 | Updated: February 9, 2013, 1:01 AM
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Game Recap
The Pacers had opportunities to put the Toronto Raptors, losers in five of their last six games, away countless times. They led by what seemed like eight points for most of the game. Fatigue from the week – four games in five nights – set in and the team made critical turnovers late in both regulation and overtime. With Paul George in his face, Rudy Gay drilled a mid-range jumper with 1.7 seconds left in extra time. At the other end, George’s shot from 17 feet had a chance but rimmed out.
The Raptors (18-32) escaped with their second straight two-point win this season on the Pacers’ home court, thus ending the Blue and Gold’s 15-game home win streak.
The Pacers (31-20) led for the majority of the game, but not by more than 11. Entering the fourth, their eight-point advantage quickly vanished as the Raptors rolled off 10 in a row to take their first lead since the 10:10 mark of the second quarter. Meanwhile, the Pacers’ offense stalled. They missed their first eight shots and would make just four of 17 attempts in the quarter.
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Up two with 10.7 seconds to go, West was fouled and made both foul shots. After a timeout, Rudy Gay then got the inbounds pass on the block, quickly got around his defender and dunked it, only using about two seconds. Trying to hit Stephenson at mid-court for a runaway, West hurried the throw and it slipped out—a regretful pass. The ball was intercepted by Gay, who tossed the ball to Amir Johnson. Though Johnson missed his first shot from about 9-feet out, he went after his own rebound and got his follow-up off just in time. The officials confirmed via replay that it left Johnson’s hand with 0.1 second on the clock, sending the game to overtime tied at 90.
The Raptors took the early lead, scoring on their first two possessions in extra time. David West would pull the team back in front with two straight field goals. Then, after Gay connected on a tough jumper, West chalked up an assist on a three-pointer from Stephenson. Roy Hibbert made a huge block but Jonas Valanciunas grabbed the ball and laid it in for two. George Hill drew a foul at the other end, but only made one of two foul shots, thus tying the game at 98.
The Pacers’ next two possessions went horribly wrong. West's pass to Hill sailed over his head and then Hill lost the ball out of bounds while driving to the hoop. Tied at 98, Gay took Paul George one-on-one and despite great defense, Gay buried a 15-footer.
With 1.7 seconds left, George received the ball in the front court, made a quick move and got a shot off just above the free throw line. It didn’t drop and the Pacers end their exhausting week on a sour note, losing to the Raptors, 100-98.
Inside the Numbers
David West led the Pacers with 30 points, his fourth 30-point game this season. Paul George contributed 26 points, 14 rebounds and five assists. George Hill finished with nine points, ending his career-high streak of 14 straight games in double figures.
Rudy Gay was held to 3-of-11 shooting and six points in the first half but ended up with a team-high 23 points, including the game-winning basket. DeMar DeRozan scored 22, and both Amir Johnson (14 points, 14 rebounds) and Jonas Valanciunas (14 points, 13 rebounds) recorded double-doubles.
All three meetings this season have been decided by two points.
The Pacers left nine points at the foul line, shooting 68 percent (19-of-28).
The Raptors’ bench outscored the Pacers' bench, 37-16; they also outscored them in the paint 42-32.
Quoteworthy
“In that situation, we’ve been there a hundred times, we look for a safe inbound. If we don’t have a safe inbound, we use a timeout. I think (West) had Lance (Stephenson) streaking for an easy two that would have put the game on ice. I think Lance stopped, I think, I haven’t reviewed the play. It’s just a miscue.” – Frank Vogel on the inbounds pass in regulation
“I can’t be that careless at the end of the game…I second-guessed myself, hesitated a little bit, and threw it short. We just didn’t close the game the right way and so we didn’t get the win. They made the plays to close the game and we didn’t.” – David West
“I thought it was the (best) look I could have got with 1.7 (seconds left). I thought it was going down though, it felt good when I released it.”
“We were pretty fatigued. I felt like today was the toughest day out of this whole stretch, even every game through the back-to-back-to-back. I felt like tonight was the toughest one to play.” – Paul George on their energy level
Stat of the Game
The Pacers shot 51 percent through three quarters but went a combined 7-of-23 (30 percent) in the fourth quarter and in overtime.
Noteworthy
- The Raptors have won the last two meetings.
- Sam Young was home with the flu, giving Gerald Green his first minutes in five games.
- Both teams wore red warm-up shirts in celebration of the Chinese New Year.
- Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard held a seminar on being a GM in the NBA for four winners and one friend each before the game.
Up Next
The Brooklyn Nets visit the Pacers for the first time this season. The game will tip-off at 7 PM EST on Monday. Good seats are still available and feature the #PaulStar ticket offer. Find Tickets »
