Wrap-Up — There are some losses that can be filed away and forgotten about. And there are some that hurt a little worse. Friday night’s loss north of the border falls into the latter category.
Going up against the hottest team in the East – and one that came into the contest just three games back in the Conference standings – the Wine and Gold had an opportunity to get some late-season separation. But Toronto’s All-Star guard Kyle Lowry had other ideas – and his game-winning dagger with 3.9 to play sealed the Raptors’ 99-97 win at the Air Canada Centre.
The Cavaliers led by nine, 91-82, with 4:45 to play in regulation – and hadn’t trailed at any point during the second stanza – but Lowry scored five straight points to cut Cleveland’s lead to four. DeMar DeRozan hit his only field goal of the game to get Toronto to within a deuce and Jonas Valanciunas’ free throws on the next possession tied the game with 3:03 to play.
Lowry gave Toronto a three-point lead with a pair of free throws with just under two minutes to play, but Kevin Love’s triple with 1:42 to play tied the affair at 95-apiece.
Love untied the game with a pair of free throws of his own, but Lowry’s hook shot with 51 seconds remaining knotted the affair again. J.R. Smith’s couldn’t connect on a three-point attempt on Cleveland’s next possession, setting up the game-winner.
The Cavaliers had one last chance to tie or win the game, but LeBron James’ pull-up trey fell short at the buzzer.
Lowry scored 16 of his game- and career-high 43 points in the fourth quarter, and his 23-foot pull-up jumper in the closing moments sealed a 17-6 Raptors’ run to close the game.
LeBron led the Cavaliers with 25 points, going an even 9-for-18 from the floor, including 2-of-4 from long-distance, to go with eight boards and a team-high seven assists.
Kevin Love followed up with 20 points and nine boards, but was just 5-of-15 from the floor in the loss. J.R. Smith was 3-of-6 from deep – 5-of-8 overall – for 13 points.
Kyrie Irving, who rounded out the Cavaliers in double-figures with 10 points, also struggled from the field, finishing just 4-of-11 and adding just a single assist.
The Raptors shot 51 percent from the floor to the Cavaliers’ 47 percent. Cleveland did finish 12-of-24 from three-point range and outrebounded Toronto by five, 39-34. But the Wine and Gold committed 14 turnovers that led to 19 Raptors’ points and saw Toronto outscore them, 50-34, in the paint.
Turning Point — Although the Raptors’ closing salvo eventually decided the game, a short lapse by the Cavaliers to end the third quarter might have allowed that to happen.
With just under four minutes to play in the period, Matthew Dellavedova’s three-pointer gave Cleveland its biggest advantage of the game – a 14-point edge against a Raptors team that looked like it was ready to fold.
But Lowry scored six points in the final 2:24, keying an 11-6 run to end the quarter and give a listless team life heading into the fourth quarter.
By the Numbers – 20 … straight games that LeBron James has scored at least 20 points against the Raptors in Toronto – the longest such streak for any player on the road in the NBA. (James is also second on that list – having dropped 20+ on the Celtics in 15 straight outings in Boston.)
Quotable – LeBron James, on Friday night’s loss in Toronto …
“When you lose the way we lost, it’s mental mistake after mental mistake – and those hurt more than anything when you can play better mentally. People get so caught up in the physical side of the game, we lack (the) mental (side) right now, and we’ve got to continue to get better with it.”
Up Next – After falling to the Raptors on Friday night in Toronto, the Wine and Gold head to the nation’s capital for a Sunday afternoon affair against the Wizards in D.C. The Cavaliers wrap up the back-to-back – and the month of February – on Monday night when they welcome the Pacers to The Q for the final time this season. Following the two-game set, the Cavaliers get a rare-but-welcomed three-day break before a weekend back-to-back in Cleveland – closing out the season series with the Wizards on Friday and trying for a measure of revenge against the Celtics – who stunned the Cavs at the buzzer back on February 5 – next Saturday night.
