Indiana continues to falter with their third straight loss against Toronto 111-100 on Friday night. The Pacers had a two-point lead at the halftime break, but the Raptors went on a tear late in the third period to have an 80-68 lead entering into the final quarter. Toronto never let up on the gas in their victory and remain three games back of first place in the Eastern Conference. As for Indiana, they're still tied for seventh since Miami lost with a 37-39 overall record, but Chicago is just a half game away from overtaking both teams.
Ellis struggles on offense for the Pacers
Indiana struggled on offense shooting 41.4 percent from the field. While they did hit 11-of-26 3-point attempts, their opponent had a step up from them in that department converting 14-of-27 from downtown. Small forward Paul George (22.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg) recorded 28 points and 9 boards in the loss, and he's averaging 29 points in the last three games.
Shooting guard Monta Ellis (8.8 ppg, 3.2 apg) struggled on the road again for a second straight game. He was limited to just four points, and he's had just six total points in the last two games. Pacers head coach Nate MacMillan expressed his concern about the struggles in the rebounding department and letting the opponent have 20 second-chance points.
DeRozan nets 40 for the Raptors
Toronto dominated on the glass with a 53-42 rebounding advantage in the contest. Shooting guard DeMar DeRozan (27.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg) put up 40 points and 9 boards. It was the first time he reached the 40-point plateau in the last five games -- he recorded 40 points against Miami and 42 versus Chicago earlier in March.
"You've got that confidence, you've got that swagger, you feel it internally -- you just feel good," DeRozan said after the victory. The guard has recorded over 30 points in five of his last seven games. Center Jonas Valanciunas (12 ppg, 9.6 rpg) also recorded his second consecutive double-double with 17 boards and 16 points.
Up next, Indiana travels to Cleveland while Toronto will host Philadelphia on Sunday night.