Paul George’s 22 points, 10 rebounds lead Pacers past Raptors 93-81

TORONTO – Paul George’s 22 points and 10 rebounds helped the Pacers pull away from the Raptors on Friday as Indiana downed Toronto 93-81.

George led all scorers and helped the Pacers (37-22) recovered from a 99-91 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers the night before. Roy Hibbert scored 18 and David West chipped in with 15 points.

Rudy Gay led Toronto (23-36) with 21 points and DeMar DeRozan had nine, while Alan Anderson added 14. The Raptors have lost three games in a row. They now start a four-game road trip.

It was the first time in four meetings between the two clubs this season where the winning margin was more than two points.

Already up 64-51 after three quarters, George had a pair of three-pointers during an 8-2 Pacers run to start the fourth. His second three-pointer with 9:56 remaining in the fourth put Indiana up by 19.

Despite hitting just three field goals in the first quarter on 17 attempts for 17.6 percent shooting, Toronto only trailed 17-13 largely thanks to going seven of eight from the free throw line.

It was an even second quarter that was punctuated with an emphatic right-handed DeRozan dunk to end the period. Indiana led 39-34 at half.

The teams traded baskets early in the third quarter and just past the halfway mark of the third quarter, Hibbert and George each hit a pair of free throws to put Indiana up by 10.

Toronto kept things close early in the third but Indiana quarter on an 11-4 run that George ended with another three-point shot.

Notes: Toronto went into March after going 7-5 in February. It was their first winning month since Jan. 2010 … Roy Hibbert was back in the Pacers’ lineup after serving a one-game suspension. … Attendance Friday night was 18,268.