Raptors vs. Pacers: Game 3 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2016 NBA Playoffs

The Toronto Raptors finished the regular season with an Eastern Conference-best 24 wins on the road, so it’s no surprise the Atlantic Division champions arrived at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Thursday night and claimed a 2-1 series lead against the Indiana Pacers with a dominant 101-85 win. 

According to Basketball-Reference.com, the 16-point margin of victory was the second-largest in Raptors postseason franchise history away from home.    

DeMar DeRozan bounced back from a couple of poor performances at home with 21 points on 7-of-19 shooting, while Kyle Lowry offered symmetrical balance by totaling 21 points and eight assists. The Raptors finished a team-best plus-18 with Lowry on the floor. 

The Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed also continued to bludgeon Indiana on the offensive glass, 15-9, after entering Game 3 with a 32-15 edge in that department through the series’ first two showdowns. 

Paul George attempted to shoulder the load, and he did a decent job of accomplishing that goal early on. But he had to chuck his way to 25 points on 6-of-19 shooting (1-of-8 from three) with DeMarre Carroll draped all over him, as ESPN.com’s Mike Mazzeo observed:   

Carroll having a $60 million night guarding George.

— Mike Mazzeo (@MazzESPN) April 22, 2016

And even though the Pacers shot 38.2 percent from the field and 27.3 percent from three as a team, they had opportunities to make a second-half push. 

Toronto missed a whopping 20 shots in the third quarter and was outscored 23-18 in the frame, but the Pacers couldn’t muster consistency down the stretch to cut into the double-digit deficit facilitated by a sterling first half from DeRozan and the Raptors. 

DeRozan, who shot a combined …

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