Pacers 102, Raptors 84: Second Half Run Away

The Pacers used a tried and true formula for their third win in a row Saturday night. After falling behind in the first half, the Pacers rallied to dominate the second half and cruise to a 102-84 victory over Toronto. I'm looking forward to watching a replay of the game, well, at least the second half. Mike Wells' recap describes a game similar to the comeback victory over Miami last Wednesday. With Darrell Armstrong and Danny Granger coming alive after the half, the Pacers had more than enough fire power to wear out the Raptors, who were playing the back half of back-to-back games.

Rick Carlisle enjoyed the second half:

"In the second half, I thought we got tougher defensively, more tough-minded," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "We got to a lot of loose balls that we didn't get to in the first half. We picked it up in the second half; that was the difference in the game."

Jermaine O'Neal continues to enjoy the new look roster and team's ability to spread the wealth as displayed last night with five players in double figures:

"We're starting to get it together," O'Neal said. "We've got a lot of offensive threats out there. We have a fine mix of everything. We don't have too much of anything, which is very beneficial to us."

The trade's feel-good momentum will be tested Sunday night with a trip to the Palace to take on the Central Division leading Pistons.