Nuthin' But a "PG" Thang

RAPS 123, PACERS 112
Point guards, Jose Calderon and Jarret Jack, put on their best performance of the season, combining for 39 points and 13 assists as the Raptors had their offense going in their 123-112 win over the Indiana Pacers.  Jose Calderon got it going early, playing aggressive, attacking the basket and it worked.

The Raptors scored 74 points....in the first half, which was a season-high for the Raptors.  By halftime, the Raptors were up 21 over the Pacers with guys like Jose Calderon (21 pts, 7 assists), Rasho Nesterovic (12 pts, 7 boards) and Jarret Jack (18 pts, 6 assists ) leading the way. 

For the Pacers,  Danny Granger came out swinging in the second half  (he finished with 36 points) and helped cut the Pacers' lead down to eight in the third quarter.  The Pacers outscored the Raptors 59-49 in the second half but it wasn't enough.  The Raptors maintained their lead for the whole contest even with big baskets from the Pacers' Danny Granger, Dahntay Jones and former Raptor, TJ Ford but the Pacers never led.  Chris Bosh had a horrible shooting night going 5-19 but made up for it at the FT line, Bosh finished with 16 pts, 12 boards and 4 blocks.

Although the Raps pulled out the win, their defense did fall off in the second half allowing 39 points to the Pacers in the third quarter.  DeRozan proved to a be a defensive liability in the second half as Granger got hot, and Triano quickly gave the rookie the hook and replaced him with the defensive-minded Antoine Wright.  It was the Raptors second win where they let the opponent score over 100 pts.

Key Notes:

• Raptors shot 56% for the night to the Pacers' 45%
• Here's Danny Granger's monster line: 36 pts, 7 threes, 9 rebounds and 5 assists
• Former Raptor, TJ Ford, finished with 16 pts
• Toronto outrebounded the Pacers 43-34
• Seven Raptors finished in double figures: Turk, Bosh, Bargnani, Calderon, Rasho, Jack and Belinelli
• For a Pacers perspective, check out Indy Cornrows
• DeRozan Watch: 10 minutes, 8 pts, 1 rebound

Next up:  Raps face the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night...

Photo credit: (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Chris Young)