DeMar DeRozan (10) of the Toronto Raptors shoots the ball as Ian Mahinmi (28) of the Indiana Pacers defends during the NBA season opener at Air Canada Centre on October 28, 2015 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images
Debuting a new logo, new uniforms and half a roster worth of newcomers, the Toronto Raptors opened their 21st season on Wednesday, trying to make distant memories of their painful first-round playoff exit from 184 days ago.
They did so with a dramatic 106-99 victory over the Indiana Pacers in a game they once trailed by 16 points. It was spearheaded by 25 points from DeMar DeRozan, 23 from Kyle Lowry and a 21-point, 15-rebound night from Jonas Valanciunas, along with a stellar defensive performance from the Raptors top addition DeMarre Carroll on Indiana superstar Paul George.
The Raptors vowed to return to a heavy emphasis on defence this season after becoming the NBA's 26th-rated defence last season, having to win on scoring alone. Wednesday, they struggled to slam the door at times, but held the Pacers to 37 per cent shooting from the field – including a 4-of-17 performance for George, who settled for getting most of his 17 points from the free throw line.
Lowry, Valanciunas and the current longest-standing Raptor, DeRozan, started together on opening night for the fourth straight season. Carroll started at small forward – the big addition previously of the Atlanta Hawks – adding 13 points, six boards and four assists on the night. The 6-foot-9 Argentinian Luis Scola started at power forward, a veteran coming over from the Pacers.
Patrick Patterson and Bismack Biyombo were the first of five Raptors to be used off the bench on opening night, and besides Canadian backup point-guard Cory Joseph, the most used. Terrence Ross and James Johnson also saw limited minutes.
The Raptors zipped out to an 8-4 lead start to begin the game, but they couldn't hold it long. They allowed the Pacers to snag the lead just six minutes in and march up 30-20 by the quarter's end. The uneasy first quarter also saw Ross pick up three fast fouls which complicated Toronto's substitution rotation. Carroll left briefly with an elbow contusion suffered on a fall, which he later said he just needs to ice. The Raptors shot just 33 per cent from the field in that opening quarter.
In the second, the Raptors dabbled with small lineups to counter an Indiana team that has changed its game this season to a spread-out small-ball style. For a while, Toronto kept just Jonas Valanciunas on the floor alongside DeRozan, Carroll and both point guards, Lowry and Joseph.
Carroll played 41 minutes in his Raptors debut, blanketing George for much of the night, a Pacer who recently made the switch to the power forward position. The two-time All-Star for Indiana is the throes of a comeback after a gruesome leg injury suffered with Team USA last summer that caused him to lose all but six games of last season.
"That's what coach brought me here to do, do whatever it takes to win," said the charismatic Carroll, dressed in silver high-tops, lots of gold chains and diamond earrings after the game, telling the media to get used to it, because he dresses to impress.
"I had to guard Paul George all night and tried to hold him as good as I could. Maybe next game I pick up my offence too."
Toronto closed an otherwise sloppy first half with a 12-4 run, which had them down a more manageable 45-37 going into the locker room.
The Raptors continued to drive when the game resumed after half-time, making a game the Pacers once lead by 16 a three-point contest. Lowry, who had been 3-of-9 from the field in the first half, and DeRozan, who had been 1-of-7, began to sink timely buckets, as did Carroll, and Valanciunas kept patrolling the boards. A long three-point shot by Patterson late in the third quarter re-seized the lead for the Raptors and they soon went into the final stanza leading 72-68.
Two huge fouls by the Pacers inside the fourth gave Toronto a huge burst of points and stirred the crowd into a frenzy. Terrence Ross made good on the and-one after draining a 25-foot three-pointer, while Biyombo also drained the extra point after a big layup. They were soon up by 12.
But Indiana roared back and tied the game with three minutes left, 95-95. George, who had been 2-of-13, began to get hot. Timely boards from Valanciunas and a big buckets from DeRozan kept the game in hand for Toronto at the end.
"It's huge, that's what we were waiting for," said Toronto coach Dwane Casey of fourth year big man Valanciunas.
After their rough starts offensively, DeRozan ended the night 7-of-17, while Lowry was 8-of-17. The team improved to 45 per cent shooting on the night.
"Coach got on us at half-time and we definitely picked it up," said DeRozan. "I can miss 100 in a row, but when it comes to a last shot, those guys trust me to take it and I'm confident like I made 100 in a row. I've grown when it comes to situations like that."
The Raptors head to Boston to face the Celtics on Friday, before returning home to take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.