INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ― Roy Hibbert scored 22 points and Danny Granger matched his season high with 13 to help Indiana hold off Toronto 86-79 Tuesday night.
The Pacers (28-6) won their third straight, retaining the NBA’s best record by holding the Raptors to a season low in points.
Toronto (16-17) has lost two straight on the road ― at Miami and Indiana ― after winning four straight. The Raptors were led by DeMar DeRozan with 28 and Patrick Patterson with 20 against a Pacers team that looked more like itself after losing north of the border last week.
Indiana had a 40-26 scoring advantage in the paint and limited the Raptors to 37 percent shooting from the field. And instead of struggling in the second half, the Pacers pulled away.
They closed the first half on an 8-3 spurt to take a 44-36 lead they extended to 17 in the third. Toronto couldn’t get closer than six the rest of the way.