The Pacers got the road win they needed in their first-round series of the 2016 NBA Playoffs. Playing up in Toronto in front of a rowdy fan base of almost 20,000 at the Air Canada Centre, the seventh-seeded Pacers came out victorious, 100-90.
[Boxscore]
![Paul George came up huge in the Pacers' Game 1 win in Toronto. [Photo: Frank McGrath/PS&E]](https://i0.wp.com/www.vigilantsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Paul-George-jumper-on-Knicks.jpg?resize=209%2C234)
Paul George came up huge in the Pacers’ Game 1 win in Toronto. [Photo: Frank McGrath/PS&E]
They were handled on the boards, 52-38, but the difference was from beyond the arc. The Pacers hit 11 3-pointers and outscored the home team by 21 points from deep.
What it means: The Pacers have taken a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series and now have flipped home-court advantage in their favor. It will be interesting to see how the Raptors respond. This group, embarrassed in the first-round last postseason via a sweep by the Wizards, has never won a series … or Game 1 of a series for that matter.
Turning point: George buried a 3-pointer and then on the next possession, he sank a pull-up jumper. That pushed the lead to four points and they outscored the Raptors 21-12 over the final five minutes.
Star of the game: Paul George. “The biggest reason we won,” Frank Vogel said afterwards.
After going 2-of-9 from the field in the first half, George made 10 of his 13 shots in the second half and outscored Toronto’s All-Star backcourt duo of Kyle Lowry (11 points) and DeMar DeRozan (14) by himself. On top of that, George got back to being the two-way star that he is, deserving a lot of credit for minimizing DeRozan’s impact.
Streaking: The Raptors have lost seven consecutive playoff games going back to the 2013-14 postseason and they haven’t won Game 1 in a series since 2001. The Pacers’ victory ends a five-game losing streak at the Air Canada Centre.
Stat of note: The Raptors controlled the boards, 52-38, and center Jonas Valanciunas (12 points) recorded a postseason franchise-best 19 rebounds. 15 of them came in the first half, and foul trouble kept him on the bench for all but two and half minutes in the fourth quarter. He fouled out with 2:14 remaining.
Rookie debut: Myles Turner played a larger role than he probably expected because starting center Ian Mahinmi had foul issues early and often. The 20-year-old rookie contributed 10 points (5-of-9 shooting), five rebounds, and five blocks off the bench in just over 26 minutes of action.
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In the stands: The Pacers front office made the trip — team president Larry Bird, general manager Kevin Pritchard, and consultant Donnie Wlash.
What’s next: Game 2 is back at the Air Canada Centre on Monday, 7:00 pm ET. It’ll air nationally on NBA TV and locally on FOX Sports Indiana with the usual crew. [Click here for the full schedule]