Raptors rally from 16 down in the second quarter to beat Pacers
Jonas Valančiūnas had 21 points (12 in the paint) and 15 rebounds, and the Toronto Raptors rallied from 16 points down in the second quarter to beat the Indiana Pacers 106-99 in the season opener for both teams at Air Canada Centre.
The Raptors trailed 39-23 with 6:45 left in the second quarter. They outscored the Pacers 83-60 the rest of the way.
DeMar DeRozan’s 16-foot pull-up jumper with 50.9 seconds left made it 100-97.
During clutch time, the Raptors outscored the Pacers 14-9. DeRozan (No. 9 in clutch points, 2015-16) scored 5 of the Raptors’ 14 on 2 for 3 shooting and 1 for 1 at the line.
DeRozan had 25 points (10 in the fourth quarter) and 6 assists, and Kyle Lowry added 23 points and 6 assists. The Raptors had 3 20-point scorers.
For the Pacers, George Hill scored 19 points on 6 for 10 shooting.
The Raptors shot 45.0% from the field to the Pacers’ 37.2%. The Raptors outscored the Pacers 27-16 in 9 minutes with Lowry, DeRozan, Carroll, Valančiūnas and Joseph on the floor together. Bismack Biyombo fouled out for the Raptors, and Ian Mahinmi for the Pacers.