NBA playoffs: Pacers knock off Raptors in Game 1

TORONTO -- Paul George couldn't get anything going against the Toronto Raptors in the regular season. That wasn't the case for the Indiana Pacers star in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs, though.

George's tremendous 33-point output led the Pacers to a 100-90 victory at Toronto's Air Canada Centre Saturday.

The Pacers fell 3-1 to the Raptors in the regular season series, with George shooting the second lowest percentage from the field as he did against any team in the league. He found his rhythm in the post-season, though, scoring 27 of his 33 points in the second half to guide his team to a crucial road victory.

George's play was of stark contrast to that of the Raptors All-Star backcourt duo of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, who combined for 25 points on an underwhelming 8-for-32 shooting clip from the field.

The ray of light for the Raptors was center Jonas Valanciunas, who scored 12 points and added a franchise playoff record 19 rebounds. Unfortunately, Valanciunas couldn't stay out of foul trouble throughout the course of the game, and with the Raptors trailing by 10 late in the fourth quarter, fouled out.

The ousting of Valanciunas because of fouls along with the lackluster play of Lowry and DeRozan allowed George and company to close out the game and steal home court advantage heading into Monday's Game 2 matchup in Toronto.