"I really don't look at it like we're chasing Cleveland", DeRozan, who went 6 for 16 from the field in 37:20 minutes in the hard wood, said. We don't have that much more room for error.
Paul George led the Pacers with 18 points and nine rebounds. Kyle Lowry dominated the game with a game-high 32 points with five assists, Luis Scola added 17 points while DeMar DeRozan had 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists as the Raptors jumped out to lead by 30-14 after the first quarter which set the tone and allowed them to cruise to an easy victory.
Terrence Ross then tacked two successful free throws.
The Celtics had cut the Raptors' lead to 79-74 lead going into the fourth quarter, outscoring Toronto 33-24 in the third on the strength of 12 points by Isaiah Thomas, who finished with 20.
Regardless of who's available, the Celtics have to get back to playing with the confidence they had a couple of weeks ago, when players were certain the team could make a surge at Toronto. "I guess we got back in it in the third quarter and then we had a cluster of errors there that led to transition points and kind of got us back out of it".
Victor Oladipo and Evan Fournier had 21 points apiece for the Magic.
"They made big plays down the stretch", Vogel said.
He assumed that, after calling out his teammates for getting "punked" and looking "soft as tissue" in the 130-109 loss, the Celtics would come out Friday night in Toronto looking hungry against the Raptors, a team that played an overtime game in IN the night before and was playing its fourth game in five nights.
"I don't think anyone is discouraged", said Amir Johnson.
And while the Cavs try to figure out how to use Kevin Love, try to shore up their defense and find the consistency they need to make a real run at a title, the Toronto Raptors have put themselves right in Cleveland's rearview mirror as the playoffs approach.
Capcom Celebrates 20 Years of Resident Evil With New Developer Interviews
If you've yet to play them or need a refresher, check out our reviews of Resident Evil 4 , Resident Evil 5 , and Resident Evil 6 . I still remember buying it on launch day at, uhhh, EB Games in the mall, I think; oversized, ugly PlayStation box and all.
With Cory Joseph rested for the first time this season and Jonas Valanciunas still nursing a bruised left hand, it was incumbent on the rest of the Raptors to step up in their absence. Dwane Casey became the first coach in franchise history to notch 200 career victories....
"Hey, we're four games away from ninth [place]", Stevens said, downplaying any thoughts of a surge. It's not vacation time.
"Give them credit", Miles said.
Kyle Lowry's strong performance earned him Eastern Conference player of the week.
The 5-foot-9 guard and his teammates were quite vocal with officials on Friday over the lack of calls they drew as compared to the hosts. Magic PG Elfrid Payton (elbow) was available on Sunday after missing five games.... While the backcourt pairing of DeRozan and Lowry capture numerous Toronto headlines, for Orlando coach Scott Skiles, a reserve player has held most of his attention. Maybe we can get a better rhythm off the bench than we had.
Bulls 118, Nets 102 - Doug McDermott scored 25 points and Jimmy Butler added 22 to help Chicago move a half-game ahead of idle Detroit for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Raptors: Patrick Patterson (ankle) sat out Sunday's game....
If you don't count overtime games, the Pacers would have a record of 35-25.
But what might be the most unexpected development this season is how the Raptors' play contrasts with the mood at the end of last year, even though the team as now constituted is not dramatically different from last year's version.
The Magic (29-40) will continue their east coast road trip with a visit to Boston tomorrow.
