The Raptors were supposed to be dead and buried after two miserable outings in Cleveland. Hold the funeral rites, pastor – the Raptors grabbed a full-value win at home.
First Half
The Toronto Raptors knew that, without shooting, they would be swept from the playoffs in short order. Kyle Lowry’s 3-point shots had been stunningly bad in Cleveland, as he had managed exactly one in 17 attempts. Back on home court, he blew through that number in a hurry, making 3 of 4. He couldn’t stay on the floor, however, as the foul trouble which has plagued the Raptors continued.
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Kyle was called for 3 quick ones, including another block/charge which went the wrong way. They all have in this series. Any toss-up call is against the Raptors.
Bismack Biyombo had more opportunities to grab rebounds than he had in Cleveland, as the Cavs weren’t sharp. Kevin Love was scoreless in 17 minutes; he combined with Raptors scourge Kyrie Irving to make 3 of 16 shots.
Bis cleaned up the glass with 16 boards. The Cavs were one & done a lot, and the Raptors got out and ran off the missed shots.
With shots going down from everywhere, the Raptors enjoyed their highest-scoring quarter of the series, racking up 33 in Q2. They went into the dressing room with a 13-point lead.
Second Half
The Cavaliers came out energized and gave the Raptors fits. A LeBron James and-1 brought Cleveland within 6, and later a quick pair of long balls by J.R. Smith made it a 5-point Toronto lead. The Raptors kept their noses in front, and ended Q3 with a buzzer-beater long ball by Cory Joseph. That meant the quarter was lost by 3, and the issue was far from over.
Indeed, extreme worry was the theme for much of Q4, as the sellout crowd endured another Raptors dry spell. Toronto was stuck at 85 for nearly six minutes, until a Lowry dish to a cutting Biyombo resulted in an emphatic dunk. The Cavaliers didn’t take advantage of the Raptors’ frosty shooting, scoring a meager 7 points.
Once the Raptors realized there wasn’t a lid on the basket, they were able to withstand a poor call on Biyombo. James supposedly was the victim of a Flagrant Foul, but the ref was the only person who saw it that way. Regardless, late jumpers by Lowry and CoJo brought the Cavs benchers on the floor. Much rejoicing ensued in downtown Toronto.
In Sum…
The Raptors needed their backcourt to step up, and that’s exactly what happened. DeRozan led all scorers with 32 points, while Lowry chipped in 20. DeMarre Carroll and Patrick Patterson wasted a number of open looks, but managed 10 points each and defended smartly.
Way down on the scoring stack, but unmatched on the boards, Biyombo grabbed an insane 26 rebounds. His eight on the offensive glass equaled Cleveland’s team total there. HIs 4 blocked shots were all the Raptors would get, and were huge.
Both teams were careful with the ball, each being charged with 9 turnovers. The Raptors outfouled the Cavaliers – so what else is new?
This confidence-building victory needs to be followed by another. The Raptors get their chance to level the series on Monday night.