Basketball Daily Dose: Dose: Raptors even series 2-2
Raptors even series vs. Cavs at 2-2 with 105-99 win at home
Jonas Valanciunas (ankle) was “available” to play, but never entered Monday’s Game 4, and the Raptors didn’t need him in the 105-99 win at home. Kyle Lowry went off for 35 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals and four 3-pointers on 14-of-20 shooting in the Raptors biggest win in team history last night. DeMar DeRozan was right there with him, hitting 14-of-23 shots for 32 points, three rebounds, three assists and a steal in 40 minutes. The duo combined for 67 points, which is a team record.
The Raptors blew a 57-41 halftime lead to see the Cavs take the lead in the fourth quarter on a LeBron James layup, but the Raptors went on an 11-3 run to end the game and hang on for the win, tying the series at 2-2. Bismack Biyombo was big again with five points, 14 rebounds and three blocks in 42 minutes, while DeMarre Carroll chipped in with 11 points, three boards, two assists, a steal and a 3-pointer, despite hitting just 3-of-12 shots. Patrick Patterson played 34 minutes off the bench and had nine points, five boards, a steal and a 3-pointer, and Cory Joseph had eight points, three boards and two assists in 16 minutes off the bench. James Johnson played just six minutes and Terrence Ross saw just seven minutes for the Raptors.
Toronto hit just 7-of-22 3-pointers on the night but had just eight turnovers and came through in the end after withstanding a big Cavaliers’ run in the second half. Lowry blew by J.R. Smith for a layup that ended up sealing the win with 22.5 seconds left, and also had a big steal against LeBron with 2:38 left in the game, although he clearly fouled James and got away with one. When Lowry and DeRozan play like all-stars, and Biyombo crashes the boards, the Raptors are very tough to beat – especially at home.
The Cavaliers made a heroic comeback and made their first 11 shots of the second half after hitting just 3-of-22 3-pointers in the first half on Monday. Channing Frye hit three 3-pointers to fuel the comeback, while LeBron and Kyrie Irving were also on point until the final few minutes of the game. Frye finally missed a 3-pointer to stop the scoring streak for Cleveland and the Raptors then took over the game. The Cavs were just 1-of-11 shooting in most of the final five minutes of the game and lost back-to-back playoff games to an Eastern opponent for the first time since facing Boston in 2010.
LeBron led the way for the Cavs with 29 points, nine boards, six assists, two steals, a block and a 3-pointer on 11-of-16 shooting, and Kyrie chipped in with 26 points, six assists, a steal and three 3-pointers on 11-of-21 shooting in the loss. Tristan Thompson struggled with two points and nine boards on 1-of-3 shooting, while Kevin Love hit just 4-of-14 shots and two 3-pointers for 10 points, seven boards and three assists, and didn’t play in the fourth quarter. J.R. Smith hit just 3-of-12 shots and finished with nine points and three 3-pointers in 32 minutes, and his ‘gimme’ layup to Lowry with 22.5 seconds remaining was the dagger last night. Love’s left knee was clearly bothering him in the second half, as he came up limping in the third quarter and was then seen massaging the knee while on the bench. The Cavs say he’s not hurt, but it sure looked like he had an issue with his knee that may have kept him out in the fourth quarter.
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Frye ended up with 12 points, six rebounds and four 3-pointers in 21 minutes, and Richard Jefferson was on the court for the entire fourth quarter to finish with eight points on 4-of-4 shooting. The Cavs have to hope that Love’s knee is OK and that he bounces back in Game 5, while they need to find a way to stop Lowry and DeRozan from making so many shots. It would also be beneficial if Thompson could step up and help slow down Biyombo on the glass. I really thought the Cavs were going to take this one easily, but with Love disappearing for the second straight game, the good vibes the Cavs were feeling after Game 2 are all but gone.
I’m going to call Valanciunas probable for Game 5, which is Wednesday night at 8:30 on ESPN in Cleveland. However, given how well Biyombo has been playing, the Raptors may just use JV as a decoy off the bench in that one.
In the West, the favored Warriors visit the Thunder in a 2-1 hole on Tuesday night at 9 p.m. on TNT. It may not be a must-win for the Warriors, but it’s pretty close to it.
