Raptors hit stride early in win over Pacers
Last Updated: Wednesday, November 25, 2009 | 12:26 AM ET
By Rob Sinclair, Senior Writer, CBC Sports
Nothing helps a newcomer find a comfort level faster than facing old friends. Just ask Jarrett Jack.
Playing his former team for the first time, Jack shot a perfect 7-for-7 from the floor for 18 points as the Toronto Raptors topped the Indiana Pacers 123-112 at the Air Canada Centre on Tuesday night.
It was a fabulous performance off the bench that included six assists, three rebounds and three treys in less than 30 minutes and, not surprisingly, inspired by the prospect of showing up the Pacers.
"Yeah," Jack admitted. "But I come out with that same focus every game, not just because there were some familiar faces on the other side or a team I used to wear their jersey.
"That's the focus for me I try to come in, regardless. That's just me."
Toronto tallied a season-high 74 first-half points — five shy of the franchise record — on a blistering 63.4 per cent shooting to lead by 21 at intermission.
It was unselfish basketball at its best and keyed by Jack and backcourt companion Jose Calderon, who scored a season-high 21 points and doled out a game-high 11 assists.
"Everybody was sharing the ball and moving the ball and everybody was aggressive," Calderon said. "It was nice and everyone was feeling comfortable out there and that's the way we have to be.
"We have to share the ball. There's shots for everybody.
"We don't have to hold it. We just have to pass the ball and we'll be all right, for sure."
Indiana trimmed it to 100-92 with 39 points in the third and nearly narrowed the deficit to five when Danny Granger clanked a three-point attempt off the rim as time expired in the quarter.
But Jack, a popular player with the Pacers before signing an offer sheet with Toronto on July 20, delivered the decisive blow in the fourth for the Raptors — a three-point basket from the top of the arc that put the game out of reach at 117-106.
"They're a team, just like us, who can score in bunches," Jack said. "Danny Granger, obviously, can really, really shoot the ball.
"That was the one thing I was trying to preach. These guys don't give up no matter how many points they're out."
"He's different right now," Raptors head coach Jay Triano observed of Jack. "He's lighter off the floor.
"He's just playing with lot of confidence. I think he's liking basketball whereas, at first, I think it was a feeling-out process where he wasn't really sure where he fit on this team and what his role was going to be."
Indeed, Jack struggled to fit in early in the season but has hit his stride over the past three games, putting up 17 points against Miami, 11 assists against Orlando and 18 points against Indiana.
"My teammates just kept telling me to shoot the ball, stay aggressive," he said. "Everybody has been so positive here and I'm just glad I'm able to deliver."
'It's everybody just starting to get to know everybody'
Chris Bosh poured in 16 points, pulled down a game-best 12 rebounds and blocked four shots for the Raptors (7-8), winners of all six games in which they have held the opposition under 100 points.
Bulkier and loaded for bear because he is eligible for free agency at season's end, Bosh has a dozen double-doubles in 15 starts, including a string of eight straight at one point.
He was one of seven Raptors to score in double digits Tuesday night, part of a balanced attack that included Andrea Bargnani and Hedo Turkoglu with 14 points apiece, Rasho Nesterovic with 12 and Marco Belinelli 11.
"I think it's just everybody starting to get to know everybody a little bit," Triano said.
Granger shook off a 3-for-12 start to lead all scorers with a season-high 36 points for the Pacers (5-7), including 21 on treys.
Former Raptors point guard T.J. Ford had 16 points, followed by Troy Murphy and Brandon Rush with 11 each.
"We played with no defensive force in the first half," Pacers head coach Jim O'Brien said. "We made it a game in the second half because we did play with force."
Indiana has lost four straight on the heels of a five-game winning streak.
With files from The Canadian Press
