The Cleveland Cavaliers are now up 2-0 in their round 2 series against the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors need a win in Cleveland in order to prevent being swept by the Cavaliers for the second year in a row.
The Raptors started the game strong, leading for most of the first period. They finished the first half two points ahead of Cleveland. The Cavaliers fought back, however, and ended the third quarter up 98-87. They continued to dominate in the fourth quarter and went on to win the game 128-110.
Stats
Jonas Valunciunas had another good night, getting another double-double with 12 rebounds and 16 points. DeMar DeRozan had 24 points, and Kyle Lowry finished with 21 points. However, defense certainly seemed to be lacking from the Toronto players.
Kevin Love and LeBron James were certainly the stars of the night. James finished with a grand total of 43 points after playing 41 minutes, and also had 8 rebounds and 14 assists. Kevin Love also had a double-double with 31 points and 11 rebounds. Point guard George Hill ended the night with 13 points, and J.R Smith had 15 points.
Key Points
The Toronto Raptors definitely need to work on their defense if they have any hope of defeating the Cavaliers on their home court over these next two games; especially since Cleveland’s defensive game was extremely strong in game 2. Compared to Game 1, where the Cavaliers rallied just enough in the fourth quarter to push the game into overtime, Cleveland took the lead early in the second half, and persevered to win by 18 points. Despite his 43 points, LeBron James played an enhanced defensive game on Thursday, which is shown by his 14 assists. The only Raptors player with rebounds or assists in the double digits was Jonas Valunciunas, which is alarming for a playoff game.
Hopefully the Toronto Raptors will take these next two days to regroup and work on their defense so they’re ready for Game 3 in Cleveland on Saturday. #NorthOverEverything
