Raptors 100, Pacers 98 (OT)
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Pacers have to start another home winning streak.
Toronto Raptors forward Rudy Gay ended the Pacers' 15-game home winning streak when he made a pull-up jumper over Paul George with 1.7 seconds left in overtime to lead them to a 100-98 victory at Bankers Life
Fieldhouse.
The Pacers hadn't lost at home since Denver beat them in early December.
George's shot rolled around the rim before falling out as time expired.
David West led the Pacers with 30 points. George added 26 points. Gay had 23 points with DeMar DeRozan chipping in 22 for Toronto.
The Pacers blew their chance to win the game in regulation.They had a four-point lead with 10 seconds remaining, but crumbled down the stretch.
But Amir Johnson cut it to two points on a bucket.
Then West tried to throw a long pass to Lance Stephenson. Gay picked off the pass, passed to Johnson, who missed his first shot, but got his own rebound. Johnson gathered the ball and put it back up before the clock expired.
The officials took several minutes reviewing the play before determining it was good.
The Pacers maintained a single-digit lead for two-plus quarters before finally getting a double-digit lead when Roy Hibbert threw a hook pass underneath to a wide-open West to give them a 63-53 lead.
But despite trailing for most of the game, the Raptors never felt like they were out of it because the Pacers never had complete control of things.
It finally caught up to the Pacers at the start of the fourth quarter.
Toronto scored the first eight points of the quarter and finally tied the score at 72-72 with a little more than nine minutes left on a layup by Gay. Toronto got a 74-72 advantage on another Gay basket.
The Pacers missed their first six shots and committed a turnover on their first seven possessions of the final quarter.
Indiana finally ended its scoring drought when Stephenson found West for a bucket underneath to tie the score at 74-74.
The Pacers went up 77-76 when George Hill saved the ball from going out of bounds and threw it to George for a 3-pointer from straight away.
The Raptors tied the score at 79-79 on a free throw from DeRozen with 2:51 left. Then the Pacers got back-to-back treys from George and Hill to give them an 85-80 lead with 1:15 left.
NOTES: Pacers swingman Paul George is participating in this year's 3-point shooting competition during All-Star weekend. George, who was in the dunk contest last year, is shooting 38.7 percent on 3-pointers this season. Swingman Gerald Green will try to defend his slam-dunk title from 2007 when he participates in the event this year in his hometown of Houston. "It's good to be able to wear a Pacers jersey and do it at a time we're having a terrific season," Green said. "I just want to do something positive and make a good
note of the organization. Hopefully I can defend the one I won earlier. This is my last competition for sure." ... Swingman Sam Young missed the game with the flu. Green, who was demoted earlier this season, was back in the rotation as the fourth wing player against the Toronto Raptors. ... Raptors center Andrea Bargnani came off the bench for the second straight game as he works his way back from an elbow and wrist injury.
