Raptors contain Pacers in the fourth quarter, complete comeback to take a 3-2 series lead

The Raptors came into Game 4 looking sluggish, and coach Dwane Casey wanted them to tip the game off with more energy.

But it was the same story in Game 5.

The Pacers looked like the more aggressive team in the first quarter, and took an early lead from the get-go. Toronto's saving grace in the opening quarter were their trips to the free-throw line. The Pacers separated themselves by knocking down five straight threes and were in cruise control after the first quarter.

The Raptors attempted a comeback in the second frame, highlighted by DeMar DeRozan's crowd-awakening dunk.

Toronto cut the lead down to just five in the second quarter before Paul George subbed back in and shredded the Raptors.

Things got heated in the third quarter when Kyle Lowry and George were tangled up going for a loose ball.

George's frustration earned him a technical foul, and so began the Pacers' downfall. He scored 37 points within the first three quarters, but was held to just two points in the fourth due to a myriad of defensive switches by the Raptors.

Frustration for the Pacers kept mounting up into the fourth quarter, and a run ignited by the bench and capped off by a jam from rookie Norman Powell leveled out the playing field at 92 with 6:30 remaining.

Coach Dwane Casey credited the comeback to the group he rolled with in the fourth quarter. "They were just scrappy, this is what the playoffs are about. Fight, toughness. For whatever reason we didn't start the game that way, but we ended up that way."

The Raptors held the Pacers to just nine points in the final frame, and the bench rose to the occasion, driving Toronto to a 25-point quarter. DeMar DeRozan broke the 92-all tie with a three-point shot from the left wing, and ignited a crowd that was ready to call it a game in the first half. DeRozan finished the game with his best performance of the series by scoring 34 points and converting 12 of his 13 free throws.

"DeMar is an All-Star for a reason," said Casey. "Guys don't forget how to score and he did that tonight."

"It's all about patience, you can't get flustered, and you have to stay the course," added DeRozan. "That's what we want to continue to do and do whatever it takes to win."

The Raptors led by six in the final three and a half minutes, but Indiana fought back and had a chance to tie the game with just 2.7 seconds remaining.

Fortunately for Toronto, the basket was waved off. The Raps took the 102-99 victory and the 3-2 series lead as a result, and completed the comeback after trailing by as much as 17 late in the first quarter. That 17-point comeback is the largest deficit they've overcome in their playoff history.

"It was just about mixing, finding, and searching for our group that was going to do that," said Casey. "This is how you make a name for yourself, this is how you build legacies for yourself individually is in the playoffs so why hold back."

The series shifts to Indiana on Friday, where the Raptors have a chance to close out the series. Historically, the winner of game 5 has an 83 per cent chance to advance to the next round of the playoffs.

The Raptors have escaped the first round just once in their 21-year franchise history.

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