In brief: DeMar DeRozan scores 34, Raptors rally for 3-2 lead over Pacers

NBA: DeMar DeRozan scored 34 points and the Toronto Raptors held on for a 102-99 victory over the visiting Indiana Pacers and a 3-2 lead in their first-round series Tuesday night when Solomon Hill’s 3-pointer was ruled after the buzzer.

The Raptors overcame 39 points from Paul George and a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter, getting 14 points from Kyle Lowry.

Bismack Biyombo had 10 points and 16 rebounds for the second-seeded Raptors, who can clinch the first seven-game playoff series victory in franchise history by beating the Pacers in Indiana on Friday night.

George Hill had 15 points and Myles Turner 14 for the Pacers, who led by as many as 17 and never trailed through the first three quarters before coming unglued in the fourth.

Jonas Valanciunas scored 11 and rookie Norman Powell had 10 for Toronto.

The Pacers made 13 of 29 from 3-point range but struggled from all over the floor in the fourth, making four of 15 shots and scoring just nine points in the period.

Trailing 90-77 to begin the fourth, the Raptors tied the game with a 15-2 run. Powell stole the ball from Monta Ellis and made a fast-break dunk to knot it at 92-all with 6:31 remaining, sending the sellout crowd of 19,800 into a frenzy.

Toronto’s first six points of the fourth came with George on the bench. He checked back in with 8:36 left.

After Powell’s basket, neither team scored again until DeRozan hit a tiebreaking 3 with 4:15 remaining. After a missed 3 by Ellis, Cory Joseph hit another 3 for Toronto, putting the Raptors up 98-92 with 3:26 left.

Solomon Hill’s 3 with 15.9 seconds cut it to 100-99, but DeRozan answered with a pair of free throws.

Indiana had the ball under Toronto’s basket with 2.7 seconds left. Ellis inbounded to George, who fed Solomon Hill, and Pacers players threw their arms up in celebration when his shot from the left side went through the net. But video replay confirmed that the shot came too late.

George scored 12 points in the first and the Pacers were 7 of 10 from 3-point range to lead 35-20 after one.

With George on the bench, the Raptors closed the gap with a 13-1 run to begin the second, making it 36-33. George returned and hit a 3 at 8:05, snapping a streak of seven straight missed field goals by the Pacers. George scored seven of the next 10 Indiana points before Toronto called timeout. DeRozan scored 13 in the second while George had 10 as the Pacers led 61-52 at halftime.

George scored 15 points in the third, including an 8-for-8 performance at the free throw line, as the Pacers took a 90-77 lead into the fourth.

Hawks lead series 3-2: Kent Bazemore sparked a stunning turnaround with three straight 3-pointers in the second quarter, and the host Atlanta Hawks reclaimed the upper hand in their playoff series against the Boston Celtics with a 110-83 rout.

The Hawks are up 3-2 in the series and positioned to close it out Thursday in Boston. If Game 7 is needed, it would be Saturday in Atlanta.

This one started out horribly for Atlanta, which couldn’t make a shot and trailed 29-19 midway through the second quarter. Then, suddenly, the Hawks looked like an entirely different team.

Led by Bazemore, Atlanta ripped off a 28-8 run to take control before halftime. The Hawks totally blew it open with a 42-point third quarter, heading to the final period up 89-62.

Mike Scott led the Hawks with 17 points, while Bazemore and Jeff Teague added 16 apiece. Evan Turner topped Boston with 15 points.

Kerr named Coach of the Year: As Steve Kerr tried to cope with the headaches, nausea, pain and other concerning symptoms, there were times he wondered whether he would even come back to coach the Golden State Warriors this season, whether he even should return to the bench if not 100 percent healthy.

Complications from two back surgeries had sidelined him for the defending champions’ record start, then Kerr found his way into the huddle again on Jan. 22 after a nearly four-month leave of absence. And on Tuesday, he earned NBA Coach of the Year honors for his Warriors’ record 73-win season that topped the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls team he played for that went 72-10.

“There were moments I didn’t know if I would get back at all this season,” Kerr said as Golden State prepared for Wednesday’s playoff Game 5 against Houston. “I’m really thankful I improved to the point where I could coach. Coaching has actually helped considerably as I’ve continued to heal. I sort of had to just take a leap of faith. If I was going to wait until I felt great I would have been waiting all season.”

As Kerr’s news conference was about to begin, in walked his coach from Palisades High, Jerry Marvin, and then former Arizona coach Lute Olson. Kerr was stunned.

Warriors general manager Bob Myers broke down as he discussed Kerr’s triumph this season. The GM called daily to check on Kerr during his ordeal.

Kerr received 64 first-place votes from the panel of 130 media members who regularly cover the league. Portland’s Terry Stotts was second. San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich was third.

While Kerr missed the Warriors’ first 43 games this season as he recovered, top assistant Luke Walton led Golden State to a 24-0 start and 39-4 mark.

“It lasted longer than any of us thought or hoped,” said Walton, who recalled Kerr’s constant reminders of, “We have really good players out there, we’re going to be just fine.”

Kerr’s players saw their coach struggle through the physical challenges. He still spoke to the team before games even if he then went behind the scenes to watch.

“We saw it every day. The time that he’s been back, he’s had good days, bad days,” small forward Harrison Barnes said. “You can kind of tell where he’s still a little fatigued and having headaches. He’s been fighting through it and he’s been great for us.”

Kerr couldn’t wait to return, but he had to be patient and pick the right time so he was confident in finishing out the season.

“When I came back, I just said, `It’s just time, I have to do it,’ and fortunately it worked out,” Kerr said. “Coaching and the involvement every day helped the process, helped me get better and better as I went. I’m still not all the way there. I still have some pain, but I’m happy I’m with my guys.”

Voters took notice of Walton’s work as well, and he finished tied for eighth in the balloting.

“I think he should have been higher,” Golden State power forward Draymond Green said.

Myers mentioned all the credit Walton deserves, then joked to Kerr, “Can you give him like a shoe from the trophy?”

To which Kerr cracked, “One Van?”

For Kerr, his award goes to everyone involved and “is about is what we’ve built, what we’ve all built.”

“This was the hardest year of my life, not even close,” said the 50-year-old Kerr, joined by his wife, Margot, and two grown children, Nick and Maddy. “Incredibly lucky to have this amazing family and all these beautiful people around me.”

Wizards hire Brooks: The Washington Wizards have announced the hiring of Scott Brooks as their new head coach, replacing Randy Wittman.

Brooks reached a five-year agreement with the team last week. He will be introduced at a news conference Wednesday.

As coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Brooks went 338-207 in seven seasons. He led the Thunder to the NBA Finals in 2012.

“Scott’s approach to the game, track record for player development and ability to communicate with his players made him the clear-cut choice,” owner Ted Leonsis said.

Washington general manager Ernie Grunfeld was looking for a strong defensive coach, and Brooks brings that. The Wizards ranked 21st in the league defensively in Wittman’s final season, allowing 104.6 points a game.

Grunfeld said Brooks was the organization’s top candidate. The Wizards hired him before the Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves or Los Angeles Lakers could fill their coaching vacancies.

NHL suspends Flyers’ Schenn for charging

NHL: Philadelphia Flyers forward Brayden Schenn has been suspended by the NHL for three games for a high hit on Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie.

The punishment was announced by the league’s department of player safety on Tuesday. Schenn will miss the first three games of the 2016-17 season.

The charging incident occurred at 14:24 of the second period in Philadelphia’s Game 6 loss on Sunday. The league says Schenn launched “up and into his hit, making significant contact with Oshie’s head.”

Real Madrid holds Manchester to draw

Soccer: Real Madrid coped well without the injured Cristiano Ronaldo to comfortably hold Manchester City to a 0-0 draw in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal in Manchester, England.

A knee injury prevented Ronaldo from featuring and Madrid also played the second half at Etihad Stadium without Karim Benzema, depriving the 10-time European champions of their two most potent forwards.

However, City – making its first semifinal appearance in Europe’s elite competition – couldn’t capitalize and ended up being thankful to goalkeeper Joe Hart for late saves from Casemiro and Pepe as Madrid finished strongly.

The second leg in Madrid is played next week, with City boosted by not conceding an away goal.

Spain’s Izagirre wins Tour of Romandie

Cycling: Jon Izagirre of Spain won a chilly, rain-swept prologue of the six-day Tour of Romandie.

Izagirre was six seconds faster than Tom Dumoulin of the Netherlands on a 3.95-kilometer (2.5-mile) route around the watch-making town of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.

Former road race world champion Michal Kwiatkowski of Poland was third, trailing seven seconds behind Movistar rider Izagirre. Chris Froome trailed 26 seconds behind Izagirre, and around 10 behind Nairo Quintana of Colombia.