By IAN HARRISON ADVERTISING By IAN HARRISON Associated Press TORONTO — DeMar DeRozan scored 26 points, Kyle Lowry had 13 points and a season-high 14 assists and the Toronto Raptors extended their season-best winning streak to four games, beating the
By IAN HARRISON
By IAN HARRISON
Associated Press
TORONTO — DeMar DeRozan scored 26 points, Kyle Lowry had 13 points and a season-high 14 assists and the Toronto Raptors extended their season-best winning streak to four games, beating the Indiana Pacers 95-82 on Wednesday night.
Terrence Ross scored 18 points and Jonas Valanciunas had 13 points and nine rebounds as the Raptors (15-15) snapped Indiana’s five-game winning streak and improved to .500 after 30 games for the first time since Jan. 6, 2010.
The Raptors have won eight of 10 games since Dec. 13, when the majority of the players acquired from Sacramento in the Rudy Gay deal made their Toronto debuts.
Roy Hibbert fouled out with 16 points and Paul George had 12 for the Pacers, who recorded a season-worst 23 turnovers. Indiana had won nine of its previous 12 meetings with Toronto, including four straight north of the border. Danny Granger scored 11 points for Indiana.
Hibbert picked up his fifth foul less than 90 seconds into the fourth quarter, and the Pacers couldn’t hold a one-point lead without their big man. Greivis Vasquez hit a 3 on Toronto’s next possession, giving the Raptors a 69-67 lead.
David West tied the score at 74-74 with a jump shot at 6:58, but Toronto answered with six straight points, four from DeRozan, to open an 80-74 lead at 5:23. West stopped the run by making one of two from the free throw line, but Lowry hit two free throws at the other end and, after Hibbert checked back in, DeRozan nailed a jumper to put Toronto up 84-75 with 4:22 left.
Hibbert fouled out with 3:25 left and Toronto scored five of the next seven points, two on a fast break layup by Lowry, to lead 91-79 with 2:00 remaining.
Ross and DeRozan both scored seven points in the first quarter while Lowry had five points and seven assists as the Raptors led 26-18 after one. Hibbert scored 10 of Indiana’s points in the quarter.
Toronto led 32-23 with 7:55 left in the second quarter, but Granger scored seven points as the Pacers closed the half with a 21-8 run to take a 44-40 lead. The Raptors missed nine of 15 field goal attempts in the second.
Toronto battled back in the third, tying the score at 63 on a dunk by Tyler Hansbrough with 1:08 left. After a turnover by George, Raptors guard John Salmons hit a 3, capping a 9-0 run to end the quarter and putting Toronto up 66-63.
MAVERICKS 87
WIZARDS 78
WASHINGTON — Monta Ellis scored 23 points, Vince Carter had 13 and the Mavericks held the Wizards scoreless for more than 4 minutes late in the fourth quarter.
The Wizards led 74-70 with 4:58 to play, but the Mavericks scored nine straight points on a 3-pointer by Carter, a hook shoot by Brandan Wright, two free throws by Carter and a jumper by Ellis.
Washington didn’t score again until John Wall, who led the Wizards with 22 points, made two free throws with 46 seconds to play.
Trevor Booker had 10 points and a career-high 19 rebounds for Washington.
It was Dallas’ fourth straight win on the road and their eighth straight over the Wizards (14-15), who failed in their attempt to rise above .500 for the first time since Oct. 31, 2009.
T-WOLVES 124
PELICANS 112
MINNEAPOLIS — Nikola Pekovic had 22 points and seven rebounds and the Minnesota Timberwolves led by as many as 30 points in cruising to a 124-112 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Kevin Love had 21 points and six rebounds and Ricky Rubio had 14 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and three steals for the Timberwolves. Minnesota shot 55.7 percent, attempted 35 free throws and forced a season-high 18 turnovers from the Pelicans.
Ryan Anderson had 25 points and Tyreke Evans added 16 points and seven boards for New Orleans. Eric Gordon returned from a three-game absence because of a bruised hip, but struggled with 12 points on 5-for-12 shooting.
