Raptors storm back in Indiana to win 10th straight

Rudi Schuller

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Raptors storm back in Indiana to win 10th straight image

The Toronto Raptors' winning streak hit 10 games as they defeated the Indiana Pacers 106-99 in Indianapolis on Thursday night.

Led by DeMar DeRozan's 24 points, Toronto staged a late comeback for the second straight game as they maintained their hold of the top spot on the Eastern Conference standings.

The win, which also extended the Raptors' road win streak to eight games, boosted Toronto to 51-17 on the season. The team now has a commanding five-game lead over second-place Boston.

Here are three takeaways from Thursday's contest:

Turnovers nearly fatal

The Raptors were hitting shots almost at will in the first half, and overall they drained 12 3-pointers compared to just seven for the Pacers.

Despite some good numbers from the floor, Indiana enjoyed a lead for much of the game thanks to Toronto being more careless with the ball than usual.

The Raptors ended with 19 total turnovers to Indiana's eight. The Pacers escaped the first half without a single turnover, but Toronto increased the pressure and forced five turnovers from the home team in the third quarter. The Raptors' renewed defensive commitment is what helped them ultimately win the game.

Miles from deep

Toronto's late-game surge was led by some deadly shooting by C.J. Miles, who saved all of his 10 points for the fourth quarter.

Miles hit three consecutive 3-pointers in the fourth to help Toronto reclaim the lead after losing it in the opening quarter, 

Unfortunately for Miles, the 30-year-old came down on his elbow just after hitting double-digits and wasn't able to contribute anything else offensively. However, the Raptors were able to ride the momentum created by their sharpshooter and hold on for the victory.

Starters mob?

Toronto's bench has been rightly gaining league-wide attention for its ability to consistently impose its will on games and allow the stars to take crucial time off the court, but on Thursday it was the starters who took on the lion's share of the scoring.

Aside from Miles and Pascal Siakam, the only other Raptors to hit double-digits on the night were from the starting lineup.

Malcolm Miller was the only starter who didn't get to the 10-point plateau, with DeRozan, Jonas Valanciunas (16), Serge Ibaka and Kyle Lowry (13 each) all registering double-digit offence against the Pacers.

Rudi Schuller