No reports have surfaced about the Raptors opting to rest its All-Star backcourt duo of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. Thus, for now, it’s safe to say that they’ll both be playing in this regular-season finale in Cleveland.
DeRozan is coming off a big 35-point explosion during the Toronto’s 110-97 win over a mediocre Knicks team on Sunday, which secured the No. 3 seed in the east for the Raptors who have won eight of their last 10 games, including the previous three. DeRozan also became the second player in the franchise history to notch a 2,000-point season after the win over New York.
Lowry, meanwhile, tallied 17 points and 11 assists in the same game, marking his second double-double in three contests since returning from a wrist injury.
The perfect ending to the regular-season would be a win over the defending champions, but the Raps have lost all three meetings with Cleveland this season. Plus, it’s been nearly three years since they’ve won a game at Quicken Loans Arena.
This won’t be just Cleveland’s final tune-up before the playoffs arrive, but also its only chance to right their recent woes. The defending champs are on a three-game losing skid—capped off by Monday’s 121-124 overtime loss in Miami and a historic collapse on the road against Atlanta in the previous night.
To be fair, LeBron James (rest), Kyrie Irving (rest) and Tristan Thompson didn’t suit up against the Heat, which resulted into an unexpected throwback performance from Deron Williams, who finished with a season-high 35 points, nine assists and seven boards, and a busy night for Kevin Love, who collected 25 points and 10 rebounds. He now has 40 double-doubles on the season.
Both Williams and Love should find themselves carrying most of the load for the Cavs with James and Irving likely sitting out again. Cleveland currently sits second in the east and needs first-seeded Boston to lose its final game to finish atop of the conference.
