Solomon Hill game-tying 3 at buzzer ruled no good pic.twitter.com/UG0rK2LnCK
— Rob Perez (@World_Wide_Wob) April 27, 2016
The Indiana Pacers wouldn’t have had the chance to win Game 5 if not for the stellar play Solomon Hill. The backup forward scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds on Tuesday night, making all three of his attempts from long range in the process. One problem: His fourth and final make from beyond the arc didn’t count.
A furious fourth-quarter comeback by the Toronto Raptors was finished for good when officials confirmed a ruling on the floor that Hill’s would-be game-tying three came just after the final buzzer sounded. The Raptors beat the Pacers 102-99.
What a game.
Paul George was brilliant for Indiana, guiding his team to a seemingly insurmountable lead with 39 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists on just 19 shots. But the Pacers double-digit lead going into the fourth quarter was gone just a few minutes later, and timely three-point shooting from Toronto ensured Frank Vogel’s team would play catch up in the game’s waning moments.
DeMar DeRozan shook off early struggles to score 34 points for the Raptors, while Bismack Biyombo and Norman Powell made major, major contributions off the bench to make up for the lackluster play of Jonas Valanciunas and DeMarre Carroll.
The first-round series between Toronto and Indiana is now tied at 2-2. Game 6 is Friday from Indianapolis. Needless to say, we highly recommend clearing your schedule.