INDIANAPOLIS -- The Toronto Raptors have a reputation for being one of the NBA's best defensive teams and it is that defense that has allowed the Eastern Conference's No. 2 seed to regain control of its first-round series against No. 7 seed Indiana.

Toronto forced 17 Pacers' turnovers in Thursday night's Game 3 in Bankers Life Fieldhouse and converted those Indiana mistakes into 26 points in a dominating 101-85 victory, also limiting the Pacers to 38.2 percent field goal shooting and 6 of 22 from 3-point range.

While standout guards DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry continue to struggle with their collective shooting, it hasn't mattered in Games 2 and 3, which the Raptors won with their defense.

Toronto got 21 points and eight assists from Lowry and 21 points from DeRozan in taking a 2-1 series lead and regaining home court advantage after losing Game 1 in Toronto.

DeMarre Carroll scored 17 points for Toronto, which took a 10-9 lead and never trailed again. Game 4 is set for Saturday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Through three games, Lowry is averaging 16.7 points while shooting 31.9 percent from the field and DeRozan is averaging 15 points while shooting 30.4 percent (17 of 56). But the way the Raptors are defending and getting strong bench play, Toronto is finding its way after the Game 1 loss.

"I like the activity, our intensity and our approach," Toronto coach Dwane Casey said of the Raptors' Game 3 defense. "I think it just set the tone for the entire game. We have to stay away from the touch fouls, but I really liked our defensive intensity. I especially liked our attention to detail on the defensive end.

"We have to make sure we continue to be smart with our intensity and effort on the defensive end."

Toronto also outrebounded the Pacers 45-38, including 15 offensive boards, boosting the Raptors' offensive rebound total to 47 in the first three games of this series.

Paul George led Indiana with 25 points, Myles Turner scored 17 and George Hill added 13.

Carroll limited George to 6 of 19 shooting, including 1 of 8 from 3-point range.

"I spent a lot of good energy on him tonight, and my wife is here, so maybe I will get a good massage," Carroll said. "I spent a lot of energy chasing him around, and I also knew I had to hit a couple of 3s. I felt great, and I have to continue to feed off that. George is a great player, and the most important thing is to keep him off the free throw line."

While the Toronto locker room was a happy place, the mood was somber in the Pacers' quarters.

"They outplayed us in all aspects of the game," Indiana coach Frank Vogel said. "Turnovers were a real problem, and they (Raptors) are a problem for us at the rim.

"We have done a good job on Lowry and DeRozan, but we have to take better care of the ball."

Consecutive 3-pointers from Lowry and Patrick Patterson pushed the Toronto lead to 81-63 with 8:51 remaining, prompting an Indiana timeout. Another Lowry 3-pointer with 5:26 to go extended the advantage to 88-69.

Carroll's layup with 5:30 remaining in the third quarter stopped a brief Pacer run and pushed the Raptors' lead to 62-47. Carroll's 3-pointer and a driving layup from DeRozan gave Toronto a 67-49 lead with 2:33 left in the period.

"They find ways to create turnovers," Pacer guard George Hill said. "To run our offense, we have to do a better job of getting the ball from side to side. We were able to make a couple of runs in the third quarter, but those runs can't continue forever. We've got to come in here Friday, look at the tape and figure out how we can get this series tied at 2."

The Pacers' 36 first-half points represent the team's worst output during the first 24 minutes of any game this season.

Solomon Hill's 3-pointer and Turner's basket pulled the Pacers to within 71-59 with 12 minutes remaining.

Toronto took complete advantage of Indiana's 11 first-half turnovers and 33.3 percent field goal shooting to build a commanding 53-36 lead through two quarters. That 17-point halftime lead represents the largest in a playoff game in franchise history.

The Raptors scored 17 first-half points as the result of Pacers' turnovers, and 16 points from DeRozan and nine points and six assists from Lowry.

Toronto led by as many as 23 in the second quarter before Indiana scored the half's final six points.

George had 14 first-half points to lead Indiana, which was 1 of 8 from 3-point range.

NOTES: Raptors G-F Terrence Ross was listed as questionable because of the NBA's concussion protocol. ... Although bothered by a lower back sprain, Pacers C Ian Mahinmi was in the starting lineup. ... Toronto C Jonas Valanciunas is averaging 14.7 points and 16 rebounds in the series. ... Indiana F Paul George is averaging 28.7 points, six rebounds and 4.3 assists. ... Of the eight Eastern Conference first-round playoff games, the Pacers' Game 1 victory in Toronto was the only one by a road team. ... Indiana and Toronto are meeting for the first time in the playoffs. ... The Raptors are 7-1 in their eight most recent regular-season games against the Pacers.