Toronto Raptors beat the Indiana Pacers 89-84, advance to second round of NBA playoffs

Toronto guard/forward DeMar Derozan slashes to the basket while being defended by Indiana forward Paul George PHOTO CREDITS: Frank Gunn

The Toronto Raptors delivered something many doubted they would, overcoming the noise that reverberated about their failings in the past two postseasons. They won the team’s first playoff series since 2001, defeating the Indiana Pacers 89-84 in Sunday’s tense Game 7, earning a second-round meeting with the Miami Heat.

Powell finished the night with 13 points, Patterson had 11 and Jonas Valanciunas had 10 along with 15 rebounds. DeRozan’s 30 points came on 10-of-32 shooting. “I don’t care if he shot 40 times,” Lowry said. “He emptied the clip and we won. The winner of the turnover battle had thrived so far in the series, and that trend remained in Game 7. Toronto, had nine on this occasion that cost them nine points. Indiana had 15 for 18 points.

After that emotional win, the Raptors will have a quick turnaround. They open the Eastern Conference semi-finals at home, welcoming the Heat on Tuesday.

“It was great, the energy, the moment – a lot of people don’t get the opportunity to play in a Game 7 with everything on the line,” DeRozan said. “Everything this team has been through, it’s tough to get that moment duplicated. So you want to live it and enjoy every minute of it.”