Game Recap
In Game 1 of the Pacers' first-round matchup with the Raptors, Indiana got the exact type of game it wanted: a low-scoring, grind-it-out battle. After all, the Pacers are 24-1 this season when holding their opponent to 94 points or fewer.
And on Saturday afternoon, in the opening game of the 2016 NBA Playoffs, the Pacers moved to 25-1 in such games, as Paul George's awe-inspiring second half lifted the Pacers to a critical 100-90 win to kickoff the postseason with a powerful message to the second-seeded Raptors, handing them the loss on their home floor.
Simply put, PG was magnificent in the second half. After tallying just six points over the first two quarters, George poured in 17 points in the third quarter alone, 27 in the half, and 33 altogether to help steal Game 1. After going 2-of-9 from the field in the first half, George connected on a ridiculous 10-of-13 shots over the final two quarters, including hitting on all four of his 3-point attempts in the second half.
"I was just trying to figure out a better approach," Paul George said of overcoming his slow start, "(I had to have) a more focused plan coming into the second half."
Late in the fourth quarter, focus was an understatement, as PG passed out four assists, two of which were easy buckets for rookie Myles Turner, who came off the bench with impressive moxie. Turner was thrust onto the floor faster than expected when starting center Ian Mahinmi found himself in foul trouble. The rookie's nerves were apparent when he missed his first two free throw attempts, but he settled down from there, finishing the night with 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting and pulling down five rebounds in 25 minutes of action.
Turner's biggest contributions came in the game's final five minutes, scoring on a dunk and a layup — both of which were set up by PG — to give Indiana a six-point lead with 3:15 left. The rookie also finished with a game-high five blocked shots.
After the game, Turner was asked if he was nervous about his first playoff moment.
"That's an understatement," he laughed. "I got out there and I had a whole bunch of nerves, a whole bunch of energy, all the jitters."
PLAYOFF CENTRAL: See more from the 2016 Playoffs at Pacers.com/Playoffs »
In a season filled with nail-biters, the Pacers closed the door forcefully, using a 13-2 run that stretched from 4:55 to 1:49 in the fourth, as Ellis buried a dagger in the form of a 3-point shot assisted by PG, leaving little doubt that the Pacers would finish with the win.
In the first half, things didn't look as bright for the Pacers as it became evident fairly quickly that Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas was going to be a problematic matchup for the Pacers, especially after Ian Mahinmi was relegated to the bench with foul trouble.
In the first half alone, Valanciunas racked up 15 rebounds and eight points, as Toronto crushed the Pacers on the glass, outrebounding the Blue & Gold 33-20 in the first half. Valanciunas finished the game with a franchise playoff record 19 rebounds.
Monta Ellis — who, along with George Hill, scored a team-high seven points in first two quarters — tied things up at 41 with a tough 3-pointer, but the Raptors pushed ahead from there, going up by four with less than a minute remaining in the half. A George Hill tip-in brought Indiana's deficit to just two at the break, as the Pacers went into the locker room searching for an answer to Valanciunas and the physical Raptors.
In the third, it became clear that answer was Paul George, who had scored just six points in the first half. But the All-Star caught fire quickly and was never extinguished, pouring in 17 points to help the Pacers take the lead in the third.
But as he had been doing all game, Valanciunas answered for the Raptors, throwing down a powerful two-handed dunk to put the Raptors up 56-52 and forcing a Frank Vogel timeout.
George had plenty of punch left, however, swiping a Raptors pass at the top of the key and sprinting full court for a one-handed slam to put Indiana up 69-65.
DeMar DeRozan countered with a fading jumper over George on the other end, sending the Pacers into the fourth quarter leading 69-67 — or so they thought. The officials reviewed a long-range shot from George and retroactively deemed it a 3-pointer, pushing Indiana's lead to 70-67 entering the final quarter of Game 1.
As the fourth quarter began, the Air Canada Centre, which had been raging with intensity for three quarters, took on a more reserved tone as the Pacers pushed their lead to five on a pair of Solomon Hill free throws.
The crowd regained its zeal when Valanciunas reentered the game in the fourth, but Solomon Hill drove right at his chest, forcing the big man back to the bench after picking up his fifth foul.
But with the Pacers' reserves on the floor, Toronto battled back on its home floor, tying things up on a 3-pointer from Terrance Ross.
With 7:49 left, it was time for George to reenter the game, hoping to pick up where he left off in his scorching third quarter.
And luckily for the Pacers, George still had it going and then some, picking up a crucial assist on a Rodney Stuckey three, and scoring some quick buckets to help push Indiana's lead back up to four with under five minutes left, setting up the 10-point road victory to kick off the playoffs.
"Paul's shot making at the end of the game was spectacular," Pacers head coach Frank Vogel said after the win. "It's been a long road for him, in terms of actually getting back on the court, but before his injury, we were in the conference finals. I think this is an exciting day for him to get back to playoff basketball."
Safe to say, Pacers fans agree.
Inside the Numbers
Solomon Hill went 10-of-10 from the free throw line, surpassing his career high of eight makes from the charity stripe.
With his five blocks, Myles Turner became the fifth player in team history to recorded five or more blocks in a game since the statistic starting being recorded in 1984 (Dale Davis, Roy Hibbert, Jermaine O'Neal, and David West).
The Pacers are now 17-3 when holding their opponent under 40 percent shooting. The Raptors shot 38 percent from the field.
You Can Quote Me On That
"They killed us on the glass. We had big fella (Valanciunas) in foul trouble, he actually fouled out, and that really slowed the game up for us and we were able to box out and get out of grinds." -Monta Ellis
"I got out there and I had a whole bunch of nerves, a whole bunch of energy, all the jitters and you could tell in the first two free throws I shot. After that I was good. I wanted to lock in defensively and just take it from there." -Myles Turner
"The turnovers shot us in the foot; like the soft passes, not really setting solid screens, not running, (not) playing physical offense to get open, and those things broke our back as far as breaking our rhythm offensively" -Raptors head coach Dwane Casey
"Every win and every play you make that impacts the game positively builds your confidence. We kind of had the mindset that we don't have a home court advantage type of record because we had a lot of challenges here, even throughout the year. We're hoping that we've settled on something that can be successful for us in the playoffs. We're off to a good start but obviously a lot of work to do still." -Pacers head coach Frank Vogel
Noteworthy
- The Raptors took 38 free throw attempts, but only hit 26 of them (68 percent). The Pacers hit on 21-of-29 from the line (72 percent)
- Although the Pacers were outrebounded by 14 overall, they were only outrebounded by one in the second half after getting crushed 33-20 in the first half on the glass
- DeRozan and Lowry, Toronto's pair of All-Stars, shot a combined 8-of-32 from the field
Stat of the Night
Paul George became the first Pacers player to score 30 or more points and have five or more assists in a playoff game since Anthony Johnson had 40 points and five assists in a 2006 loss to the New Jersey Nets (per Basketball-Reference.com).
Tickets
The Pacers will host the Raptors on Thursday, April 21 and Saturday, April 23. Find out how to get playoff tickets at Pacers.com/Playoffs »
Away Game Night Special
Select Long Sleeve Tee - $15. Game Night Specials can be purchased online the day of each away game from 10:00 AM - Midnight. Order Online »