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Toronto Raptors @ Cleveland Cavaliers 7 PM EST
Toronto Raptors (53-18) @ Cleveland Cavaliers (41-29)
When: Wednesday, March 21st, 7P.M. ET
Where: Quicken Loans Arena
Broadcast info: SN1, TSN1050
LAST MEETING
The Raptors gave the Cavaliers their most-lopsided loss of the season, defeating Cleveland 133-99 at the Air Canada Centre in January. The Raptors led by six after the first quarter, but blew the game open in the second, outscoring the Cavaliers 35-16 en route to building a 65-40 halftime advantage. The Raptors topped 30 points in all four quarters, connected on 18 three-pointers, and had seven players score in double figures. Toronto won despite Kyle Lowry (bruised tailbone) and Serge Ibaka (suspension) missing the game, thanks in part to Fred VanVleet's 22 points and Jonas Valanciunas' 15-point, 18-rebound double-double. LeBron James led the Cavs with 26 points in the loss.
LEADING INTO TONIGHT'S GAME
Injury report: For Toronto, Fred VanVleet is questionable with a right hand contusion. VanVleet missed Toronto's previous two games. The status of DeMar DeRozan (left thigh contusion) is unknown for Wednesday. DeRozan missed Tuesday's game in Orlando. For Cleveland, Rodney Hood (low back strain), Larry Nance Jr. (right hamstring soreness), Cedi Osman (left hip strain), and Tristan Thompson (right ankle sprain) are out.
Back-to-back: Wednesday's game against the Cavs will be the second in a back-to-back for the Raptors with both games being played on the road. The Raptors have won nine straight road games, setting a new franchise record this season. Tuesday's victory in Orlando moved Toronto to 24-12 away from the ACC this year.
Fourth quarter closeout: The Raptors entered the fourth against the Magic on Tuesday trailing by eight. After struggling to find a flow offensively for much of the game, Toronto's offence finally clicked at the right time, just as its defence put the clamps on the Magic. Toronto outscored Orlando 25-10 in the final quarter, as a bench lineup + Kyle Lowry once again pulled out a comeback win for the Raptors.
EXTRA ASSISTS
Triple-double James: The Cavs beat the Milwaukee Bucks 124-117 on Monday, behind a monster 40-point, 12-rebound, 10-assist, two-steal, one-block performance from LeBron James. This was the third triple-double in four games for James, his 16th this season, and the 71st of his career. Over his last 18 games, James is averaging a trip-dub for Cleveland, with 30.2 points, 10.6 rebounds and 10.2 assists averaged per contest.
Deep 6ix: A trademark of this year's Raptors team has been its depth. It's impossible to pinpoint which player will have a breakout fourth quarter performance from game-to-game. On Tuesday in Orlando, Delon Wright scored eight of his 10 points in the final quarter to help the Raptors take control late. Dwane Casey played Wright, Pascal Siakam and Lorenzo Brown the entire fourth, with Lucas Nogueira logging 11:40 minutes of the quarter.
From deep: With DeMar DeRozan and Fred VanVleet sitting, Kyle Lowry was up for a big game against the Magic. Lowry played 37 minutes, scoring a game-high 25 points to go with five rebounds and eight assists. He shot 9-for-17 from the floor, and 7-for-13 from beyond the arc, contributing half of Toronto's 14 made three-pointers in the game.
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