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2016 NBA Playoffs: Raptors and Hawks take 3-2 series lead with Game 5 victories

Toronto Raptors; key back court players – Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and Cory Joseph.

[2] Toronto Raptors 102-99 [7] Indiana Pacers [Toronto leads series 3-2]

Finally, at last, one of Toronto’s All-Star back-court duo showed up in the Playoffs. DeMar DeRozan scored a team-high 34 points as the Raptors rallied from 17 points down to win a pivotal Game 5. They held the Pacers to just nine points in the final period and scored 25 themselves to complete the comeback.

The win was the franchise’s largest Playoff comeback win. Here’s how things changed for the Pacers in the fourth quarter as compared to the first 36 minutes of the game:

All-Star Kyle Lowry contributed 14 points to go along with his four rebounds and 5 assists. Off the bench, Bismack Biyombo had a stat line of 10 points and 16 rebounds in just 23 minutes. 

For Indiana, Paul George scored 39 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and dished out 8 dimes on 11 of 19 shooting but it was not enough. He became the fourth Pacer in franchise history to score 39 points in a post-season loss. He did not receive support from anybody else from his team with the next best players George Hill and Myles Turner eking out 15 and 14 points respectively.

Indiana’s bench did not show up for Game 5. Key players like Rodney Stuckey and C.J. Miles had a bad shooting night (3 of 18 combined) to go along with 3 turnovers and just seven points. The struggles of the team’s bench at the beginning of the fourth is when Toronto started to make its comeback.

Game 6 will be played in Indianapolis at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday. 

[4] Atlanta Hawks 110-83 [5] Boston Celtics [Atlanta leads series 3-2]

Hawks made a huge rally as a team.

With their Game 3 and 4 wins in Boston, the Celtics had the momentum in the series and some of it was showing in the first quarter of Game 5. However, the second and third quarter was a different story altogether.

After the first 12 minutes, the Hawks started knocking down their shots and making crisp passes to which the Celtics had no response. Here’s how the second and third quarter went for both teams:

The Hawks huge run of 28-8 came just before halftime when they poured in 11 straight baskets, of which five from beyond the three-point line. Mike Budenholzer’s men had as many as five players score in double figures led by 17 points from Mike Scott, off the bench. Paul Millsap had an all-round game with 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists. While Atlanta made their rally in the second and their period as a team on both ends of the floor, it wasn’t the same for Boston.

The Celtics meanwhile lacked intensity and ended the game with 20 turnovers while shooting just 37.7% from the field (24.1% from beyond the arc). To make matters worse, the Celtics lost their leading scorer Isaiah Thomas in the closing minutes of the third to a sprained ankle. However, thankfully for Brad Steven and Boston, it was nothing serious. Thomas expects to play the next game. 

Game 6 will be played on Thursday at TD Garden in Boston.

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