INDIANAPOLIS -- DeMar DeRozan rediscovered his all-star form, and the Toronto Raptors took control of their playoff series against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday.
DeRozan and Kyle Lowry scored 21 points apiece to lift the Raptors 101-85 over Indiana for a 2-1 series lead in their opening round.
DeMarre Carroll chipped in with 17 points, and was spectacular in stifling Pacers star Paul George, who had 25 points for Indiana. Cory Joseph had 10 points off the bench.
DeRozan had averaged just 12 points in Games 1 and 2, and sat out the fourth quarter of Toronto's Game 2 victory, but he and his teammates insisted it was only a matter of time before he got going.
"Believe me, scorers don't forget how to score," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said pre-game.
Pacers coach Frank Vogel, pre-game, deflected any praise for his players shutting down DeRozan, saying "I just don't think DeMar has found a rhythm."
The Raptors are also comfortable on the road -- going 24-17 away from the Air Canada Centre in the regular-season -- and have fared particularly well in Indiana. Their 5-3 record -- including a pair of overtime victories -- in Indianapolis since 2012 is the best in the NBA.
They looked completely at ease against a backdrop of gold, courtesy of a Pacers T-shirt giveaway at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, and led by as many as 23 points in the first half. They took a 71-59 advantage into the fourth quarter.
Toronto pulled away in the fourth and when Joseph drove to the hoop for a pretty finger roll, it put the Raptors up 83-63. The Pacers pulled to within 16 points, but back-to-back threes by Lowry and Carroll took the wind out of any momentum the Pacers might muster, and Toronto cruised to an easy victory.
Raptors fans who made the trip chanted "Let's go Raptors!" as the final seconds ticked down, while back in Toronto, fans watching on the giant screen in Maple Leaf Square leapt and cheered.
Game 4 goes Saturday in Indianapolis, then the series shifts back to Toronto for Game 5 on Tuesday.
There were small pockets of noisy Raptors fans, including two men holding a Canadian flag who incited a whole section to point at them and chant "U-S-A! U-S-A!" prior to tip-off. Early in the game, a Pacers fan chucked a mini-basketball that hit Casey in the head.
The night was virtually a home game for Casey, who was born in Indianapolis and still has family and friends in the city, many of whom were at the game.
"But they're not allowed to wear blue and gold as far as the Pacers colours," Casey said pre-game. "My mom, rest her soul, she was one of the biggest Pacers fans that there was."
DeRozan was solid from the start, scoring 12 first-quarter points to propel the Raptors to a 24-17 lead heading into the second.
Toronto continued to pull away in the second quarter, taking a 23-point lead on a pair of DeRozan free throws. They led 53-36 at halftime.
