Tip of the Tower
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Despite Second Half Surge, Toronto Raptors Fall 94-91 to Cleveland Cavaliers

By Chris Okrainetz

Oct 28, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) dribbles the ball as Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert (4) defends during the fourth quarter in a game at Air Canada Centre. The Cleveland Cavaliers won 94-91. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 28, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) dribbles the ball as Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert (4) defends during the fourth quarter in a game at Air Canada Centre. The Cleveland Cavaliers won 94-91. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports /
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Thanks to a clutch three from Kyrie Irving in the final minute of the game, the Cleveland Cavaliers managed to survive a second half surge from the Toronto Raptors to hold on for a 94-91 victory.

VS.
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Raptors2317272491
Cavaliers2822212394

Thoughts and Observations

  • This was a fun game to watch, minus the Toronto Raptors‘ sloppy first half, but the Cavaliers clearly have another gear that Toronto doesn’t.
    • Jonas Valanciunas

    was a beast again on Friday. He finished the first half with 10 rebounds and they even ran a few plays for him, which is very uncommon. JV finished the night with 10 points and 17 rebounds.

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  • DeMarre Carroll can’t seem to buy a bucket off the dribble, but he was effective when he set his feet and was placed in catch-and-shoot scenarios. Overall, he had a solid night, hitting two of his four three-point attempts, while playing serviceable defence and hustling as usual. Unfortunately, it was once again clear that Carroll struggles to defend LeBron James. LeBron’s physicality is a problem for just about any defender, but it gives Carroll a lot of trouble in one-on-one situations.
  • Kyle Lowry jawed the officials all night and finally picked up a technical midway through the third quarter. Both him and James were working the officials all night.

    • Another note on Lowry: it looks like head coach Dwane Casey is adjusting his minutes, resting him late in the first and second quarter, which is uncommon for him. Perhaps this is one way the Raptors will manage Lowry’s minutes this season?

    The third quarter was great for the Raptors. They attacked the rim and DeMar DeRozan let the game come to him as opposed to forcing his shot. He also had this monster dunk where he posterized

    Tristan Thompson

    .

    I hate to complain about the officiating, but there was a few ticky-tack calls throughout the game against the Raptors and down the stretch a pair of blown call against Carroll and Valanciunas cost Toronto.

  • Cory Joseph looks more quick this season and his first step is very explosive. Early in the fourth quarter he did a great job defending irving and his pull-up jumper was on point.

    • The Raptors showed resiliency coming back against the Cavs and they once again proved that the ACC will be an extremely difficult place for opponents to play.

    Stock Up, Stock Down

    • Up: Rookie Jakob Poeltl was fantastic in his second NBA game. The 21-year-old had a putback dunk, was active on the glass and played strong defence in 11 minutes of burn. He also played a decent chunk of his minutes in the fourth quarter, keeping Valanciunas, who played very well, on the bench.
    • Down: After only registering two minutes of playing time in the season opener against the Detroit Pistons, Norman Powell was a DNP-CD on Friday, which is a huge disappointment. After an offseason full of hype and hard work, Powell is yet to get a chance to prove himself. Perhaps he’ll see some burn against the Denver Nuggets on Monday, but in the meantime, you know, #FreeNorm.

    Stat of the Night

    18

    The Raptors had 18 turnovers against the Cavs with 12 of those coming in the first half. The flurry of turnovers in the first half helped Cleveland create a 10 point lead after two quarters and it really put Toronto in a hole.

    Another stat worth mentioning is the Raptors three-point shooting. Toronto was 4-of-16 from behind the arc on Friday night and their inability to convert from three continues to be a thorn in their side when they play against the Cavs.

    What’s Next

    The Raptors will welcome Kitchener, ON native Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets (1-0) to the Air Canada Centre on Monday night. The Nuggets opened their season with a 107-102 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, despite Anthony Davis posting a sensational stat line of 50 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, seven steals and four blocks.

    Denver crushed New Orleans on the glass, 58-34, and they will be a challenge for the Raptors in that department. However, outside of Davis, there isn’t anyone who really scares you.

    On an aside, with it being Halloween night can we please get a “Ninja Poeltl” section at the Air Canada Centre? I think it would be extremely fitting for Halloween and a comical way to help ease the rookie into Toronto.

    Next: Raptors Season Preview, Plus Other NBA Questions

    What did you think of the Toronto Raptors 94-91 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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