Had it not been for Paul George’s scoring outburst on Saturday, the Toronto Raptors might have stood a chance against the Indiana Pacers. George scored 33 points on 12-of-22 shooting and the Pacers won Game 1 100-90 in Toronto.
Raptors coach Dwane Casey said, via the Toronto Sun, he was “searching for someone to stop Paul George” on Saturday. All he needs to do is look at his bench where DeMarre Carroll has been to start the postseason.
DeMarre Carroll says he wants more minutes on Paul George in Game 2. “I want to be that gnat that bothers you while you’re barbecuing”
— Rachel Brady (@RBradyGlobe) April 17, 2016
Carroll is the Raptors’ best defender, but he’s coming off a knee injury that forced him to miss 56 games during the season.
According to ESPN’s Israel Gutierrez, Carroll was expected to come off the bench and play 15-20 minutes in Game 1, which the Raptors stuck to accordingly by playing him 19 minutes. But after witnessing George take over the game, especially during the second half, it might be time to lift Carroll’s minutes limit.
He only played in three of the Raptors’ last five games before the start of the postseason, but Carroll is probably Toronto’s best chance of stopping Indiana’s All-Star forward.
DeMarre Carroll says he’s been restricted to 20 minutes so far, but feels he’s ready to play 30 if needed. No issues with his knee.
— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) April 17, 2016
We’ll see if Casey goes to Carroll more in Game 2 or if he continues to play it cautiously.
