Basketball Daily Dose: Dose: Bismack's Breakout
Jurassic Park was alive on Saturday night.
Although Cleveland had an opportunity to salt away the series and take a commanding 3-0 lead, Toronto held everyone not named LeBron James to 19-of-62 (30.6%) shooting clip to grab the win on their home floor.
It’s hard to believe that the Raptors have suddenly found a blueprint for success given how much of a romp Game 1 & Game 2 both were, but at least Toronto now has a foundation in which to work with entering Game 4.
Cleveland @ Toronto: Raptors 99, Cavs 84
Cavs lead series, 2-1.
Studs: DeMar DeRozan, Bismack Biyombo; LeBron James, J.R. Smith
Duds: Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving
Injuries: Jonas Valanciunas (DNP, ankle)
The Toronto Raptors were the more desperate team in a Game 3 they had to have.
Playing with their postseason lives virtually on the line, DeMar DeRozan stepped up to deliver 32 big points (12-of-24 shooting) to pair with five boards and four assists while delivering his best Kobe Bryant impression from the midrange. The Raptors needed a big game from the free agent to be, and DeRozan answered the call on a night when all of Canada wanted to get through on his hotline.
Kyle Lowry had his best game since his back-to-back 30-burgers vs. Miami with 20 points, six rebounds, three assists and four triples on 7-fo-13 field goals, but the real story of this game was Bismack Biyombo. Whether you want to call it his block party—he had four of them—his breakout on a national stage or something else entirely, Biyombo fueled his free agent fire with a franchise playoff record 26 rebounds. He’s been more important to Toronto’s success this season—and during their current run—than the Raptors could have ever projected, and now he’ll be poised to earn a serious raise with multiple bidders certain to be in pursuit this summer.
The Raptors also got some contributions from their bench with Cory Joseph chipping in 14 points to go along with five rebounds, three dimes and two 3-pointers on 6-of-10 from the field, and Patrick Patterson added 10 points of his own (six boards, a steal and two 3PM) in the win. If Toronto could get something—anything—from their power forward position, there would be a whole lot more room for growth in their ceiling.
Toward the end of the first half, Biyombo and Tristan Thompson had to be separated near half court in what resulted as technical fouls for both Thompson and Joseph. Despite initially being called as two techs against Biyombo and DeMarre Carroll, the referees reviewed the footage and correctly determined that it was LeBron’s own teammate—Thompson—who inadvertently elbowed him in the mouth, a move that sent a flopping King James to the ground. LeBron did his usual thing with 24 points, eight boards, five assists and two steals on 9-of-17 from the floor, but when a red-hot J.R. Smith (22 points, six 3PM) is the only form of support James can get on a team that includes Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, it’s never a good formula to create a win.
As much as I believe the Raptors beat the Cavs, Cleveland is going to struggle vs. any team when Irving (3-of-19 FGs, 13 points) and Love (1-of-9 FGs, three points, four rebounds) combine to score 16 points on 28 shot attempts. Tyronn Lue’s club has displayed impressive chemistry during their playoff run, and there is no reason to believe they won’t be able to bounce back from what they’ve likely dubbed a disappointing loss.
