DeMar DeRozan scored 30 points, Jonas Valanciunas had 15 rebounds and 10 points, and the Raptors eliminated the Indiana Pacers from the playoffs, 89-84, Sunday night in Toronto in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series.
The Raptors now advance to face the Miami Heat in the conference semifinals. Game 1 is Tuesday night in Toronto.
Rookie Norman Powell added 13 points, Kyle Lowry had 11 points and nine assists, and Patrick Patterson had 11 points to help Toronto win a seven-game series for the first time in franchise history.
The Raptors won their first postseason series since a five-game triumph over the New York Knicks in 2001, ending the NBA’s longest active drought between playoff series victories.
Paul George led Indiana with 26 points and 12 rebounds, George Hill scored 19 points, and Monta Ellis had 15.
Heat 106, Hornets 73 — Goran Dragic scored 25 points as host Miami emphatically ended Charlotte’s season by winning Game 7 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Luol Deng scored 15 points, Dwyane Wade added 12, and Hassan Whiteside had a 10-point, 12-rebound, 5-block clincher for the Heat, who have won their last four Game 7s — each of the previous three coming along the way to winning NBA championships.
Gerald Green had 16 points off the bench. Frank Kaminsky scored 12 for Charlotte, which got 11 from Courtney Lee and 10 from Nicolas Batum. The Hornets’ two biggest stars, Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson, never got going — Walker shot 3 for 16 and scored only 9 points, while Jefferson put up a mere 4 points and two rebounds.
Warriors 118, Trail Blazers 106 — Klay Thompson scored 37 points in another brilliant performance as fellow “Splash Brother’’ Stephen Curry watched injured, and host Golden State again dominated without their MVP to beat Portland in the opener of their Western Conference semifinals.
Draymond Green had 23 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists for the defending champions.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said before the game that it’s ‘‘pretty slim’’ Curry would be ready for Game 2 on Tuesday night at Oracle Arena.
‘‘It just depends how his week goes,’’ Kerr said of Curry’s status for Game 3 on Saturday. ‘‘We'll just monitor him and see how it goes and hopefully get him back at some point. It’s nice to have that long break between 2 and 3.’’
Curry resumed light shooting Saturday without movement on his injured right knee with the hopes he can get into scrimmages by later next week.
He still will have to test the knee by putting pressure on it and planting on it when he shoots, then in some 5-on-5 scrimmages.
He sprained the MCL in his knee when he slipped on a wet spot just before halftime of a Game 4 win at Houston in the first round last Sunday.
The Warriors are scheduled to take off Wednesday from practice, meaning Curry could start running on the court by Thursday or Friday.
Trail Blazers guard Gerald Henderson and Warriors reserve center Anderson Varejao were ejected late in the third quarter of Sunday’s game after getting into it for a second time and receiving two technical fouls.
