After mercilessly crushing the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, the Cleveland Cavaliers will head north to face the struggling Toronto Raptors, who have lost five of their last six games. Will the Cavs inch closer to taking over the second spot in the Eastern Conference? Or will the Raptors play the part of rude hosts tonight?
In another game, the Grizzlies and the Rockets look to get back in the win column following their tough losses last night. Click here for a preview of that game.
The Cavs are back to their winning ways. After suffering a two-game skid, LeBron James and company vented all their frustrations on a hapless Boston Celtics team, as they came up with a huge 110-79 win Tuesday night.
[sc:NBA240banner ]James strengthened his MVP case by pouring a game-high 27 points, his third-straight game with at least 25 points. James, who dropped 35 points in the Cavs’ 105-101 win over Toronto on December 9, is averaging 32.0 points, 4.5 assists, and 5.5 rebounds over the last three Cavs games he has played in. Together with Kyrie Irving, James will lead Cleveland’s attack again in Toronto, where the Cavs are 5-0 ATS in their last five trips there.
Irving returned to the lineup against the Celtics after missing back-to-back games because of a shoulder injury. He appeared to be back in top form as he finished with 18 points and five assists. Irving, who is averaging 21.7 points and 5.2 assists per game this season, seems to be more of a playmaker when up against the Raptors, as evidenced by his 16.3 points and 7.3 assists per game numbers over the last three meetings with Toronto.
The continued absence of Kyle Lowry just made things worse for Toronto. Despite stopping a five-game skid with a victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, a win over a bottom-feeder doesn’t hide the fact that the Raptors need Lowry back and healthy soon if they are to keep their grip of second place in the Eastern Conference.
But with Lowry likely to miss the rest of the week, it looks like Greivis Vasquez will have to play some top notch basketball to bring Toronto back to life, starting with a game on Wednesday against Cleveland. Vasquez has filled in nicely for Lowry, who has missed the team’s last two games because of a hand injury. During that stretch, Vasquez has put up 13.0 points and 5.5 assists per game. He finished the Philadelphia game with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including two threes.
DeMar DeRozan meanwhile, will find himself with a heavy scoring load against Cleveland. DeRozan, who exploded for 35 points against Philadelphia, wasn’t around to help Toronto in its last meeting with the Cavs due to a groin injury. Now that he’s back in the lineup, he’ll have to cover for most of Lowry’s 18.0 PPG production. DeRozan, however, should get ample support from reserve guard Lou Williams, who has scored 22 and 21 points in the Raps’ last two games, respectively.
The Raptors are averaging 104.5 PPG, fifth-best in the NBA this season. They’re also 3-1 SU in their last four home games.
