Saturday’s slate: Dame, PG look to bounce back

The NBA playoffs continue on Saturday with two Game 3s and two Game 4s. Before spending eight hours on the couch, let’s look at the key storylines in all four games:

Can Paul George get some help? Toronto didn’t take control of this series because of its All-Stars. The massive advantage it it has is depth. Jonas Valanciunas has owned the paint. Cory Joseph has been steady. Patrick Patterson has been everywhere. The Raptors have plenty of guys that can beat you, and the Pacers need some secondary guys to step up.

Toronto forward DeMarre Carroll played excellent, physical defense on George on Thursday, and the Indiana star had 25 points on 6-for-19 shooting, plus six assists. Perhaps George will come up with a transcendent performance next time, but that’s not what his team should be relying on. Indiana acquired Monta Ellis to relieve some of the playmaking pressure, and George Hill had a career year in 2014-15 when he had no choice but to be aggressive. It would be helpful if either of them could put pressure on the Raptors’ defense.

Pacers coach Frank Vogel elected to start Myles Turner in the second half in Game 2, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he was on the court for the opening tip this time. Indiana should use him to stretch the floor, and Vogel should consider raising C.J. Miles’ minutes, too. The Pacers need to find their offense somehow.

Can Hornets survive without Nicolas Batum? The bad news hit Thursday, and now things look bleak for Charlotte: Batum is expected to miss the rest of the first round. Without him, the Hornets are obviously less dangerous on offense — he is their …

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