Lance does it again, Pacers beat Raptors
By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL)
ISL Editor
(Photo by Pacers Sports and Entertainment)
INDIANAPOLIS — There’s something special about “Black Friday” games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
There’s something special about Lance Stephenson playing against the Toronto Raptors.
And after a fifth-straight win, there might be something special about the Indiana Pacers.
Sure, it’s only been 19 games, but the Pacers (11-8) continue to prove the doubters wrong. They took another step in the “legit team” direction on Friday night, with a 107-104 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
Lance Stephenson put on another show in the 4th-quarter leading the Pacers to victory. Stephenson finished the game with 18 points and connected on 4-of-4 behind the arc. He scored 13 points in the final quarter, and the Pacers needed every one of them.
“My confidence is up,” Stephenson said. “The big shots- I feel like I’m gonna make. I’m a shot-maker when it counts. I get my energy off the crowd.”
The Pacers trailed 60-50 at halftime before outscoring Toronto 31-20 in the 3rd-quarter. They built an 11-point lead after two of Stephenson’s 3’s, but the Raptors wouldn’t go away quietly. Toronto went on an 8-0 run to cut the lead to one before another Stephenson three. It was two straight Friday nights of Lance-mania at Bankers Life.
Lance Stephenson scores 18 points off the bench to spark @Pacers to 5th straight win! pic.twitter.com/OOk38Tz2sz
— NBA (@NBA) November 25, 2017
“Just be ready at all times,” Stephenson said. “And be that spark off the bench.”
“He was making plays in the 4th quarter that I think broke Toronto’s runs,” Pacers head coach Nate McMillan said after the win. “We put the ball in his hands and he did a good job of shooting with confidence and that was the difference in the game.”
Stephenson credits team chemistry for the winning streak. “I’m not surprised,” he said. “I knew we had the talent to do it. We playing the right way. I feel like everybody on this team has something to prove. Nobody on this team is selfish. It’s all about togetherness.”
“He was huge for us,” said teammate Victor Oladipo. “We need him to play well and we’re really tough to beat when he does.”
Oladipo left the game late in the 4th quarter due to injury, which set the stage for Stephenson’s heroics. Oladipo is hoping to play against the Celtics on Saturday: “I’m always optimistic. But we’ll see what happens.”
Oladipo led the Pacers with 21 points. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 19 points and played surprisingly great defense against Demar DeRozan, holding the Raptors star to 13 points on 6-of-16 from the field.
The Pacers are now 3-2 against the teams ahead of them in the Eastern Conference. They’ll look for a sixth straight win Saturday night at home against the Eastern Conference leaders, the Boston Celtics.
Stephenson on the 11-8 start: "I'm not surprised at all. I knew we had the talent to do it. We playing the right way and it's all about togetherness." pic.twitter.com/0Qxtu2mOoA
— Tyler Smith (@TylerSmith_ISL) November 25, 2017
Lance during the 4Q at BLF in a tight game is him living his best life.
— Caitlin Cooper (@C2_Cooper) November 25, 2017
Lance Stephenson raised his 3PT% from 22% to 30% tonight after going 4 for 4.
Lance has made 11 3-pointers all season. 5 of them were in the 4th quarters of the last two home games.
— iPacers.com (@iPacersblog) November 25, 2017
