Pacers dominate Game 4, series tied 2-2
By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL)
ISL Editor
(Photo by Pacers Sports and Entertainment)
INDIANAPOLIS — Paul George said the Pacers needed to play mad after dropping Game 3 on their home court. The team responded, dominating the Raptors from start to finish, winning by a final score of 100-83 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. With the win, the Pacers have tied the best-of-seven series 2-2.
“Right from the start we were playing for each other,” Coach Frank Vogel said. “I thought our intensity was great tonight.”
The Pacers jumped out to a 7-0 lead, and led 28-16 after the first quarter. It was the first time the Pacers led after one in the series.
At times this season, the second unit has let the Pacers down. That was not the case in Game 4. Ty Lawson, Solomon Hill, and Rodney Stuckey all put together solid minutes in the second quarter, helping the Pacers add to their lead. They took a 57-42 lead into halftime.
A poor shooting third quarter didn’t hurt the Pacers, because the defense continued to make life tough for Toronto. The Raptors would pull within 11 at one pint, but that’s as close as they would get.
“I thought our defense was phenomenal,” Paul George said. “That’s what we needed, and that’s what we’ve got to bring to Toronto.”
George didn’t shoot well himself (6-of-16), but his teammates picked up the slack. Ian Mahinmi put together a career night, even with a bad back. He scored a career high 22 points, to go along with 10 rebounds, and five assists.
“He gave us a lot of defensive punch,” Coach Vogel said. “He was huge on the offensive glass. Just a great all around performance.”
“I can’t take the credit for this today,” Mahinmi said. “Today my teammates did an awesome job of finding me. Today was a total team effort.”
George Hill also had a big performance with 22 points of his own on 9-of-11 shooting. When Hill is aggressive and looking for his shot, the Pacers are hard to beat.
The question now is, how will the Pacers respond in Game 5?
Both fan bases are probably thinking “I just can’t trust these guys!” And they’d be right. Toronto has lost in the first-round in each of the last two seasons despite being favorites. And the Pacers have been consistently inconsistent all season long. Fans should also remember, every game is its own animal in a playoff series. We’ve already seen that the team you get one night could be a far cry from the one you get the next.
But for the Pacers, they’re excited to be in this position, and the pressure is now back on the 2-seed Raptors. Game 5 will be Tuesday night in Toronto.
