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INDIANAPOLIS -- The Pacers are making old-school basketball trendy, winning with defence, balanced scoring and strong second halves. On Tuesday, they did it again. Roy Hibbert scored 22 points and Lance Stephenson fell just short of his fourth triple double this season, helping the Pacers hold off Torontos late charge for an 86-79 victory that allowed them to keep the NBAs best record. "We didnt let them get physical with us," Stephenson said, referring to the stark contrast to Indianas loss last week north of the border. "That was a point of emphasis." The Pacers (28-6) have won three straight since that loss at Toronto and have a two-game lead over two-time defending champion Miami in the Eastern Conference. This was no typical night in Indiana. Some Pacers fans stayed home because of the poor road conditions in and around the city, and both teams started sluggishly -- perhaps a result of their own weather-related travel delays. Because of the snowstorm that swept through the Midwest on Sunday and the frigid temperatures that delivered a second big blow to Indianapolis on Monday and Tuesday, the Raptors (16-17) were forced to stay in Miami two days longer than planned and didnt arrive in town until about five hours before tip-off. Things didnt go much smoother for the Pacers, who endured a seemingly endless round of delays as they tried to return home following Sunday nights game at Cleveland. So when All-Star Paul George picked up his second foul less than five minutes into the game, the Pacers knew they would have to revert to their traditional style. "Our guys buckled down and had a great defensive performance," coach Frank Vogel said. Hibbert led the charge. He helped the Pacers dominate the middle with a 53-36 rebounding edge and a 40-26 scoring advantage in the paint. The 7-foot-2 centre was 5 of 12 from the field and 12 of 13 from the free throw line with eight rebounds and three blocks. Stephenson, the league leader with three triple doubles, did his thing, too. He finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Danny Granger, the former All-Star who is working his way back into game shape, came off the bench to match his season high with 13 points, and George Hill and Paul George each added 11 for Indiana. And defensively, the Pacers were stifling. They held the Raptors (16-17) to a season-low point total by limiting them to just 37.0 per cent shooting from the field -- their third-worst performance of the season. Coach Dwane Casey didnt blame the poor shooting effort on the abrupt change of plans but rather his teams inability to effectively counterpunch against the Pacers inside. "Shooters legs, sea legs, whatever you want to call it, it was there," Casey said. "We can have all the excuses, but again, in a game like this, youve got to man up and bring it." DeMar DeRozan led Toronto with 28 points, while Patrick Patterson added 20 and Kyle Lowry had 16. Nobody else reached double figures for the Raptors, who have played their best basketball of the season over the last month though theyve lost back-to-back road games -- at Miami and Indiana -- following a four-game winning streak. Toronto fought hard most of the night, jumping to an 11-4 lead and cutting an eight-point second quarter deficit to 32-31 with a 7-0 spurt. But the Pacers seized control by closing out the first half on a 12-5 run that made it 44-36, then used an 8-0 third-quarter run to break it open. Indiana led 71-54 in the final minute of the quarter before Toronto made one last rally. The Raptors closed to 77-70 on Lowrys layup with 4:14 to go, made it 81-75 when Patterson hit a 3 with 2:51 to play and got it to six two more times. Twice, they had chances to get even closer, but they missed 3s both times in the final minute and the Pacers held on. "We remembered these guys from a couple of games ago. We let that one get away," said David West, who finished with 12 rebounds and four points. "Tonight we made a point of protecting our home court." NOTES: Indiana improved to 17-1 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. ... Toronto hosts Detroit on Wednesday after completing a three-game road trip. ... The Pacers have a 2-1 lead in the season series and wont face Toronto again until April 4. ... Raptors forward Tyler Hansbrough, an ex-Pacer, did not play because of a sprained left ankle. 22:51ET 07-01-14 Yeezy Boost 350 Pink . Galatasaray said in a statement on its website Monday that Mancini signed a three-year contract and will be paid 3.5 million euros for the upcoming season, with his salary upped to 4. Yeezy Boost 350 Turtle Dove Uk . Darren Helm scored on Detroits sixth attempt in the shootout and then Jonas Gustavsson stopped Andrew Shaws shot, lifting the Detroit Red Wings to a 5-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night. http://www.yeezyboost350uk.com/adidas-originals-nm...white.h tml . -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 Uk .J. -- Seven games into a disappointing season, New York Giants defensive catalyst Jason Pierre-Paul is getting the feeling hes back. Adidas Nmd Yellow Camo . Hamelin, who triumphed in the 500 on Saturday, edged out Victor An of Russia by 0.021 seconds to maintain his lead in the World Cup standings. Russias Vladimir Grigorev was third. In the relay, Canada took control six laps from the finish line to beat Russia and the Netherlands.LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- J.P. Arencibia will likely be the No. 2 catcher in Texas. No matter. Hes right where he wants to be. Arencibia and the Rangers finalized a $1.8 million, one-year contract Tuesday. "Im looking forward to this opportunity," Arencibia said in a conference call. "From playing against the Rangers and knowing the way they go about their business on the field. I know they got a winning team out there for quite some time so that was a big deal to me." Arencibia hit .194 with 21 homers, 18 doubles and 55 RBIs in a career-high 138 games this year for Toronto. The Blue Jays didnt offer him a contract by the Dec. 2 deadline and allowed him to become a free agent. He turns 28 next month and figures to be a backup to Geovany Soto. "We wanted to make sure we have two guys that were capable, durable guys that could, in case of an injury, go out there and carry the load. We were very impresseed with J.ddddddddddddP. His goal is to win and to be a tandem with Geo," Texas general manager Jon Daniels said. "We got two selfless guys who want to put the pitching staff first, also both have some offensive ability." In four seasons, Arencibia is hitting .212 with 64 homers and 193 RBIs. He is fourth among catchers in home runs over the past three seasons with 62. Two of Arencibias seven multihomer games have come in Arlington. The other five were in Toronto. He has seven home runs 10 RBIs in 43 at-bats at the Ballpark in Arlington. "I dont know what it is, but whatever it is Id like to bottle it up," Arencibia said. "Ive enjoyed the park. One thing I enjoy is the heat. I really do like playing in the hot weather. Thats what I grew up doing in Miami. I enjoy that part of it and the atmosphere. The stadium always has a large amount of fans and that also makes playing more enjoyable." Cheap China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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