Game Rap: Raptors 89, Pacers 84

Holly MacKenzie - Raptors.com

DeMar DeRozan drilled a pair of free throws with 6.5 seconds remaining to put Toronto up five. After leading throughout the second half, the Raptors weathered a late push by the Indiana Pacers to hold on for the 89-84 Game 7 victory and win the series 4-3.

The Raptors came out focused and showed little nerves as they shot 50 percent from the floor in the first quarter and built a five-point lead behind a 13-point effort from DeMar DeRozan.

Toronto’s shooting percentage dipped to 41 percent in the second quarter as Indiana stepped up it’s defence, but Toronto still managed to outscore the Pacers by one and go into the half with a six-point advantage.

Third quarters have not been kind to the Raptors in this series, but they turned up the intensity when they came out for the second half on Sunday night. Outscoring Indiana 28-20 thanks to a flurry of 3-pointers from Patrick Patterson, (who was 3-for-4 from deep in the quarter) and DeMarre Carroll, Toronto went into the fourth ahead by 14.

With the season on the line, the Pacers came out firing in the final quarter. After turning the ball over five times though the first three quarters, Toronto had four turnovers in the fourth quarter as they also struggled to score. When a Monta Ellis 3-pointer cut the lead to three, Kyle Lowry responded with a layup. When a pair of Paul George free throws again brought the Pacers within three, DeMar DeRozan got a steal and was fouled with 6.5 seconds remaining. DeRozan sealed the game by hitting both free throws as the Air Canada Centre crowd erupted.

DeMar DeRozan scored a game-high 30 points in 40 minutes of action. DeRozan started out hot, cooled a bit in the second quarter and then went on a tear in the third quarter where he scored 13 points as Toronto built it’s largest lead of the game. In addition to his scoring, DeRozan added five rebounds, two assists, three steals and two blocked shots. H was also a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line.

Rookie Norman Powell led all reserves with a 13-point performance off the bench. Powell was calm, cool and collected in his first Game 7, playing 23 minutes, shooting 5-for-6 from the floor and 4-for-5 from beyond the arc while adding three rebounds, an assist, a steal and a blocked shot.

“It felt normal. Me and Kyle were in the gym here last night about 10, 11 o’clock. Nobody was in here, just the t-shirts laid out on the chairs. That’s when you put it in. You think about that moment where there’s nobody in the gym with you. There’s no pressure. I just wanted to knock that down for my team and go from there with it.”DeMar DeRozan on knocking down the two free throws that sealed the win

49…Rebounds for the Raptors who were a +11 on boards in the game. Toronto also held an 18-5 advantage on the offensive glass.

17…Free throw attempts for Toronto, compared to eight for the Pacers. The Raptors connected on 13 of 17 attempts (77 percent), while Indiana made seven of its eight attempts (88 percent).

9…Turnovers for Toronto leading to nine Pacers points. Indiana turned the ball over 15 times, leading to 18 points for the Raptors.

15…Rebounds for Jonas Valanciunas who had an 11-point, 15-rebound double-double.

9…Assists for Kyle Lowry who just missed out on his own double-double, with 11 points, nine assists, four rebounds and a steal in 38 minutes.

“It means a lot. You have to think about it. Ever guying that locker room does everything together. We’re raising our families together, battling together, going to war together. Having good days and bad days. You have to gain that trust with one another because it’s a brotherhood that we have. Every time we go out there and play for one another, that’s what it’s all about.” DeMar DeRozan on the importance of the team’s trust for one another through a long series.

“I think the intensity the way Norm plays, it doesn’t matter who he’s playing against, where he’s playing at. He’s going to be physical, he’s going to be always touching, always going to be keeping a hand on him. We fed off that energy of Norm. He made big shots and was coming down playing good defence. When you expend the amount of energy he did on both ends of the floor, you want to just keep him energized.”Kyle Lowry on the boost provided by Norman Powell

“No. This is one of the biggest games of my career so far. I was just telling myself to not get involved in what people were talking about, it being Game 7 and the chatter of us not making it past the first round. Just going out and playing and rising to the occasion, making plays that are going to help the team win.”Norman Powell when asked if he’d played in a bigger game before

“Myself and Cory come from teams with a tradition of depending on everyone. I felt like this series showed that everyone in this locker room was depended on and that's what we had to do. We had to come out as a team. DeMar DeRozan wasn't going to beat this team alone. Kyle Lowry wasn't going to beat this team on his own. It had to be a group effort.”DeMarre Carroll on the series win being a team effort and everyone stepping up

The Raptors will kick off round two against the third-seeded Miami Heat at the Air Canada Centre on Tuesday at 8 P.M. ET.