Raptors late push too much for Cavaliers

But the normal storylines – would it be a statement game against LeBron James and the East’s best team? – were pushed aside on Wednesday night in favour of a battle of the brands. The Kings had lost all five previous games that Cousins missed this season. The 905 stands for the suburban area code in which the team plays, and as a resident of the 905, I can tell you that no one has ever proudly stated their association with that large regional swath that covers several municipalities. “I had a relationship with him before I was in the league so just to go against him, even to this day is definitely insane to see how much [things] have changed”.

“All good friends of mine – Tristan, Cory, Anthony”, Drake said. Every time you come off a West Coast road trip, it’s a little bit harder to get that first game under your belt.

“(James) is a great player. “Anything to do with Toronto, you know I’m on board and I’m excited”. “I thought we got exhausted for obvious reasons”. “We try tomato it a team concept as well and make everything as tough as possible”. He said, “We got to get better” and then voiced his disappointment and concern with the absence of their physical play.

Jones concurred, citing a pattern of play for the Cavaliers early this season. The good news is they don’t have to beat them right now, but they need to beat them eventually. I’m not taking anything away from the Raptors, they executed, but the Cavaliers either simply didn’t have it in the gas tank, or kind of just gave up late too. The Toronto rapper – and Raptors’ global ambassador – sat courtside with his mom, and the Raptors wore their alternate black and gold Drake jerseys. The Raptors almost doubled the Cavs in paint scoring, 52-28.

“I didn’t play well”, James said afterward.

Before the media was granted postgame locker room access, the Cavalier players were addressing the team’s lack of toughness, heart and defensive awareness that was displayed in the fourth quarter.

It was an evenly poised contest as the game was tied seven times. But the Raptors roared back with a 19-2 run that stretched into the second quarter. By the end of the first half, two things were clear: Luis Scola can get things going when he wants to. James was his typically productive self for the Cavs, but his 24 points didn’t measure up to the Raps’ point guard and wasn’t enough to carry an under-manned Cavs team, minus Kyrie Irving, Matthew Dellavedova, Timofey Mozgov and Iman Shumpert, to victory.