The Toronto Raptors are looking for a bounce-back performance at home on Monday night. (Getty)
It didn’t take long for Saturday afternoon to turn into the Paul George show.
The Indiana Pacers standout was a force to be reckoned with in the second half of the series opener against the Toronto Raptors, hitting 10 of 13 attempts en route to 33 points as he led his squad to a 100-90 victory.
George’s performance was enough to spark some serious confidence across the entire Pacers’ roster and, most importantly, was a return to form after he started the game a woeful 2-for-9 from the floor. Oh and he also finished with six assists, four steals and two blocks.
Now, George and the Pacers are looking for a repeat performance on the road as they square off against the Raptors in Game 2 of the series. Keep reading for a breakdown of the matchup, including a look at the odds and live streaming options:
Date: Monday, April 18
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON
TV Channel: NBATV in the United States & SN1 in Canada
Live Stream: NBATV
Odds: Toronto -7.5 via OddsShark
Preview: It’s difficult not to think about history repeating itself.
After all, the Raptors have a bit of a history in the postseason and it isn’t exactly encouraging. In 2014 they dropped the last two of a seven-game, first-round series against Brooklyn before being swept by Washington in the first-round last year.
Now, they’ve lost Game 1 of the series against the Indiana Pacers.
So, it’s rather easy to think that this may be the beginning of the end; again. Execept that’s not what Toronto’s roster is thinking. If anything, this team is confident.
“This is not last year,” Kyle Lowry told NBA.com. “We’re very positive we’re very confident.”
The key, as obvious as it may seem, is to get back on offensive-track. DeMar DeRozan, who averaged 23.5 points in the regular season, finished with 14 on just 5-of-19 shooting. Meanwhile, Lowry, who scored 21.2 points per game heading into Saturday, was just 3-for-13 from the floor and committed six of the team’s 20 turnovers.
If those numbers can change tonight – and they need to change tonight – Toronto won’t just be competitive for Game 2, the Raptors could make sure history doesn’t repeat itself.
