Cleveland Cavaliers Beat The Raptors 112-106 in Game that Rings Playoff Bells

Lebron James on push to the net against Toronto Raptors

The Cleveland Cavaliers met The Raptors last night and in what many feel is a prelude to what may come in the NBA playoffs, beat the Raptors 112-106. LeBron James was front and center with aggressive gameplay, and after one particular shot, he stopped in front of the Toronto bench and yelled out that he is still a problem.

James scored twenty-seven points last night, and the Raptors were well aware LeBron is “still a problem”. The Cleveland Cavaliers are building momentum as they lead up to the playoffs and will James scoring six assists and nine rebounds, the Cavaliers earned their 2nd win against the Raptors in the last two weeks. The Raptors are still sitting at the top of the Eastern Conference, so the win was a good mental boost for the Cav’s.

Kevin Love of the Cavaliers scored 18 points last night, and Jose Caldron scored 19. Cleveland is 9 and 1 in the last two weeks, but LeBron James is unsure what to expect in the post-season. Yet, it has been the Cav’s that dogged the Raptors in the last two playoffs eliminating the team the last two years from the playoffs.

Speaking about what is to come and how he feels the Cav’s will do, James said,

“We don’t know what we can become. We have no idea. But right now we’re playing good ball and we want to try to continue that. But we don’t know what we can become. We have not been whole all year.”

Tornto Raptors

As for Toronto, Jonas Valanciunas and DeMar DeRozan both score high with 17 and 19 points being added respectively. The Raptors never stopped fighting for the win last night and in 34 seconds, managed to score 8 points before seeing the Cavaliers nail nailing 4 free throws and securing the win. Toronto has won only three of their last five games, this after winning eleven back-to-back.

Commenting on the team, Dwane Casey said,

“Right now we’ve got to find our rhythm on both ends of the floor, whether it’s offence or defence. That’s slip-sided away on us. We’ve got to get that back. We’ve got five games to go. We’ve played some of the best teams in the league, but we’ve got to find our identity and get back to being who we are. We’ve got a locker room full of fighters.”

Casey also spoke of his confidence in the team adding,

“We’ve bounced back the entire year. I have total confidence in those guys that they’re going to scratch their way out of it as we go into the playoffs.”

Cleveland is yet to be at full strength after George Hill, a point guard with the Cavs was absent for his second game due to a sprained ankle and Tyronn Lue was there for the game but remains on the injured list. Yet, for lack of a few players, the Cavs performed well and their accuracy was excellent. They earned five three-pointers in under four minutes and had a sixteen point lead at one point.

The Raptors will play host to the Cavaliers again tonight, and to the Indiana Pacers on Friday Night before heading to Detroit for a Monday night game against the Pistons. Cleveland will next head to Washington on Thursday and to Philadelphia to face the 76’s on Friday. With the lead up to the NBA playoffs, basketball betting sites are setting odds and preparing for the influx of bettors placing wagers on who will win the Eastern Conference and NBA Championship. Now is a good time to register with our recomended basketball sports betting sites and get the best odds before the playoffs get started.

Author Hello, My name is Ava. I am a keen sports enthusiast and enjoying not only watching but also playing a variety of them throughout the year. Ones that I particularly enjoy are reflected in the posts I tend to write about, stemmed from my experience in college athletics, coverage for the NBA and keen attendee...