A different look and a huge third quarter helped the Toronto Raptors snap their miserable seven-game losing streak yesterday.
Andrea Bargnani scored 27 points -- and was 3-for-3 from beyond the arc -- to lead Toronto to an emphatic 110-87 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Bargnani, limited to just nine minutes in Friday night's home loss to Detroit due to the flu, added nine rebounds and four assists for the Raptors (24-43), who wore green uniforms in honour of St. Patrick's Day. Pops Mensah-Bonsu came off the bench to provide a career-high 21 points and eight rebounds as Toronto handed Indiana its third straight loss and fourth in five games.
"People say, 'Can he play in the NBA? Is he a power forward? What can he bring to the table?"' Mensah-Bonsu said. "And I feel like I finally got an opportunity to play and I've taken the opportunity.
"Once I left the league after my first year, I thought, 'Once I get a chance to be in the NBA again, I'm going to stay.' I'm just grateful for what coach (Jay) Triano has been doing for me, putting me out on the floor and I've been able to produce. And like I say, I'm here to stay and hopefully I've found a home in Toronto."
Chris Bosh had 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Raptors. Jose Calderon added 15 points and 12 assists and Shawn Marion had 10 points while Joey Graham contributed 10 rebounds.
Troy Murphy had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Pacers (28-40). Former Raptor T.J. Ford added 15 points and six assists, and Jarrett Jack had 13 points.
Indiana had its leading scorer Danny Granger return to the lineup after nearly a month away with a foot injury. But Granger, who was averaging 25.0 points per game coming into yesterday's contest, was relatively ineffective, scoring 10 points in 19 minutes after coming off the bench at 3:54 of the first.
Toronto outscored Indiana 37-19 in third to take a commanding 90-69 lead into the fourth. The Raptors never looked back.
