Raptors, Hawks take 3-2 leads
TORONTO — DeMar DeRozan finally turned in the All-Star effort Toronto has been waiting for in the playoffs.
DeRozan’s big game, and an even bigger Raptors comeback, put Toronto on the brink of a secondround berth.
DeRozan scored 34 points, and the Raptors held on for a 102-99 victory over the Indiana Pacers and a 3-2 lead in their first-round series Tuesday night when Solomon Hill’s 3-pointer was ruled after the buzzer.
“I just felt like my normal self,” said DeRozan, who came in shooting 29.6 percent (21-for-71) over the first four games of the series but connected on 10 of 22 shots in this one. “It’s all about patience. You can’t get flustered, you can’t get frustrated.”
The Raptors overcame 39 points from Paul George and a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter, getting 14 points from Kyle Lowry.
Bismack Biyombo had 10 points and 16 rebounds for the second-seeded Raptors, who can clinch the first seven-game playoff series victory in franchise history by beating the Pacers in Indiana on Friday night.
“It’s awful to have had a chance to win on the road, go up 3-2 and come back home,” George said. “Once again, we failed to live up to that moment.”
The Pacers made 13-of29 from 3-point range but struggled from all over the floor in the fourth quarter, scoring just nine points in the period.
Trailing 90-77 to begin the fourth, the Raptors tied it up with a 15-2 run.
“I think the crowd, the intensity, it took away from us being in attack mode and being confident,” George said. “I thought we played a little nervous, a little tight, on our heels.”
HAWKS 110, CELTICS 83
Kent Bazemore sparked a stunning turnaround with three straight 3-pointers in the second quarter, and host Atlanta reclaimed the upper hand in its series with Boston.
The Hawks are up 3-2 in the series and positioned to close it out Thursday in Boston.
Led by Bazemore, Atlanta ripped off a 28-8 run to take control before halftime and totally blew it open with a 42-point third quarter.
Mike Scott led the Hawks with 17 points