Game Rewind: Pacers 108, Raptors 90

With their season hanging in the balance, a pair of familiar faces lifted the Pacers to a crucial victory.

Paul George had 35 points and 10 rebounds and Lance Stephenson provided an emotional lift in his return to Bankers Life Fieldhouse as Indiana (38-40) rallied from a 19-point deficit to beat the Toronto Raptors (47-31), 108-90.

George scored 18 points in the third quarter alone to help Indiana regain the lead. His old running mate then ignited the crowd with his frantic play off the bench in the fourth quarter as the Pacers pulled away for a much-needed win.

"It was fun, man," George said. "The atmosphere was amazing. I haven't felt that for a long time."

The victory snapped a four-game losing streak and pushed the Pacers temporarily back into eighth place in the Eastern Conference, a half-game ahead of idle Miami. The Heat play at Charlotte on Wednesday.

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The Pacers struggled to find a rhythm offensively in the first quarter of Tuesday's game. Toronto jumped out to an 18-7 lead and took a 26-18 advantage into the quarter break. Indiana went just 6-of-24 from the field in the opening frame.

The lone highlight for the home team in the first quarter came when Stephenson checked into the contest with 4:09 remaining. The mercurial guard, who played for the Pacers from 2010-14 and signed with the team last Thursday, got a standing ovation from the near-capacity crowd in his first game back at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

"I was very emotional," Stephenson said. "I almost teared up, but my main focus was just trying to win the game."

Toronto extended its lead to 19 points by opening the second quarter with a 19-8 run.

The Pacers' starters then returned to the game and managed to get the margin down to 11 on Paul George's layup with 23.6 seconds remaining in the period. DeMar DeRozan answered with a bucket on the other end, but Monta Ellis went coast-to-coast in just 3.2 seconds for a crucial layup just before the halftime buzzer, trimming the deficit to 51-40.

The Blue & Gold opened the second half with the sense of urgency one might expect from a team seeing its playoff hopes slip away. Indiana quickly chipped away at the Raptors' lead.

A 9-0 run midway through the period brought the home crowd to its feet. First, Young converted a three-point play. Ellis followed with a 3-pointer from the right corner, then Jeff Teague knocked down a triple from the left wing to give Indiana its first lead of the game with 5:47 left in the third quarter.

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The two teams then went back-and-forth, with each of their All-Star wings showing off their offensive repertoires.

George scored 18 points in the quarter, knocking down 6-of-8 shots. DeRozan was just as good, knocking down jumpers on five consecutive possessions at one point and reeling off 20 points in the period, including the last 16 for Toronto in the frame.

"As many shots (as he made) and as much as he was putting his team on his shoulders, I knew I had to do the same," George said.

Nonetheless, Indiana took a 77-75 lead into the fourth quarter. The reserves extended the margin to six — with Stephenson knocking down a couple mid-range jumpers — before George checked back in with 8:11 to play.

Stephenson remained in the game and helped ignite the crowd and his teammates. Indiana capped a 9-0 run with Stephenson finding Myles Turner for an open 3-pointer before Teague unleashed his own apparent Stephenson impression, crossing up Delon Wright, then knocking down a runner and letting out a primal scream, the most emotion the soft-spoken point guard has shown all season.

The Raptors never managed to get within two possessions of the lead the rest of the way, as what was a somber environment only an hour or so earlier turned into a raucous celebration.

While George led the way, he got plenty of help from his supporting cast. Teague had 20 points and six assists, Young recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Ellis chipped in 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting.

Then there was Stephenson, who played the entire fourth quarter and tallied 12 points, two rebounds, and three assists — but his impact extended far beyond the box score.

"It's contagious," George said. "When he gets into that mode, he gets fired up, it's a contagious thing.

"That's him, man. That's natural. That's who Lance is and that's what this locker room lacked."

Stephenson's energy maybe went a little too far when he scored an uncontested layup in the closing seconds with the game well in-hand. The Raptors took exception to that play and Stephenson, DeRozan, and P.J. Tucker were all assessed technical fouls in the ensuing skirmish.

"I just want to say sorry to the Raptors," Stephenson said. "I didn't mean no harm. I was very excited, (it was) my first game back home, and I just wanted to do it for the fans."

DeRozan finished with 27 points on 9-of-21 shooting. DeMarre Carroll added 11 points, while Jonas Valanciunas contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Pacers return to Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Thursday night, April 6 to host the Milwaukee Bucks at 7:00 PM ET in another matchup with major playoff implications.

George's double-double was his ninth of the season. Young's was his sixth.

Young has now scored in double figures in each of his past five games, averaging 15.2 points and 9.2 rebounds over that span.

Teague has scored 20 or more points in five of his last nine contests.

Valanciunas' double-double was his 29th of the season and his third in three games against the Pacers.

The Raptors shot 39.5 percent from the field and went just 1-for-12 from 3-point range after halftime.

"The energy in the building was electric tonight and I thought Lance brought that energy to the court. The second half, his energy, his ability to push the ball, create offense, was evident. He's just playing." -Pacers head coach Nate McMillan

"We had to play some defense and force them to make tough shots, which they did. I thought in the long haul, we wore them down, we made good shots, we moved the ball, we got into a good rhythm. And this crowd, we all benefitted from it." -George

"I just tried to come in, play smart, don’t do too much, be aggressive and make smart plays. It just happened to work out for everyone and we fed off each other’s energy. I’m just happy we got the win." -Stephenson

"They came out more disciplined. You could tell that they were fighting for something. They came out aggressive and they caught a rhythm and they ran with it." -DeRozan

"We came out soft and with no energy. They came out and made shots, played hard and we didn't." -Tucker on the second half

The Pacers scored 68 points over the final two quarters, their highest-scoring half of the season. The Blue & Gold shot 52 percent from the field and went 9-for-13 from 3-point range in the second half.

The Pacers will host the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, April 6 at 7:00 PM ET. It is the final Hickory Game of the season and we will honor the eight boys and girls 2017 IHSAA state basketball champion teams at halftime. Find Tickets »