The Toronto Raptors were able to keep up their winning ways on the road after coming up with a tough victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight winning 99-93. With tonight’s victory the Raptors improve their record to 32-25 moving 7 games above .500 for the first time in six years. Tonight’s battle of All-Star guards did not disappoint as both DeMar DeRozan and Kyrie Irving continued to push thier teams until the final buzzer. Irving was able to get his finishing with 25 points and 9 assists in a game high 45 minutes played. The Raptors now also improve their road record to 16-14 which is good for tenth in the league. Toronto will now head home for three straight home games starting with the Washington Wizards this Thursday.
Offence: B
The Raptors were able to put up 99 points on 44% shooting tonight. Kyle Lowry had an off night going only 3-13 from the field, finishing the game 0-9 from the 3pt line. As a team, Toronto attempted 32 shots from beyond the arc, which is 10 above the team average. Thankfully Terrence Ross (20 pts 7-11 FG, 5-8 3PT) and Greivis Vasquez (6-11 FG) were able to provide the Raps with an offensive spark. The Raps weren’t able to get much going in the paint tonight, which made this game a bit ugly as all the Toronto big-men combined for 7 total field goals. Fourteen turnovers didn’t help either.
Defence: B
Average just isn’t going to cut it if the Raptors plan on doing something special come the post-season. Toronto was able to dig deep during the fourth, however with the Cavs being shorthanded tonight, the Raps could’ve made this victory easier on themselves by locking down for all four quarters. Kyrie got going late and almost let his team steal a victory at home. After a strong defensive first half, the Raptors came out in a lull, therefore losing the lead they built early on. Luckily the Raptors are a top-3-league-wide-defensive-fourth-quarter-team.
Rebounding: B
Tonight the Raptors were out-rebounded by the Cavs not due to their superior positioning, but by their will to be physical when shots go up. The Cavs may have gotten a few calls for being overly aggressive, but it helped them get back in the game against the Raps tonight. Cleveland’s physicality threw the Raptors bigs off their game, and it was evident in their body language.
Game Ball: DeMar DeRozan
Tonight’s game ball goes without a doubt to DeMar DeRozan. With fellow backcourt mate Kyle Lowry having an off game, DeRozan. Last time these two teams met up, DeRozan had a subpar performance, but tonight he was able to will his team to victory with 16 fourth quarter points. DeMar finished the game leading all scorers with 33 pts 12/25 FG while also adding 6 assists, 4 rebounds and a key steal in the final 30 seconds of the game to secure a Toronto victory.
