DeRozan Scores 31 As Toronto Raptors Edge Minnesota Timberwolves 114-105

The Raptors tuned up for that stretch of home games by riding point guard Kyle Lowry’s triple-double – 22 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists – to Monday’s easy win.

A put-back dunk by reigning National Basketball Association slam dunk champion Zack LaVine tied the game with 3:48 to play, but Toronto’s all-stars Lowry and DeRozan drilled consecutive three-pointers, putting the Raptors ahead 107-101 with just under two minutes to play. DeRozan averages 23.5 points while Jonas Valanciunas averages 9.4 rebounds per game. Forward Gorgui Dieng added 21 points with eight rebounds, center Karl-Anthony Towns had 16 and reserve forward Shabazz Muhammad contributed 10 points. Lowry has 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting to go with six assists but the Raptors trail 77-68 entering the fourth quarter.

Both squads have been excellent so far this year, with the Cavaliers being carried by superstar LeBron James, while the Raptors have Kyle Lowry to fall back on when needed.

Wiggins checked back in a few minutes into the second quarter and picked up right where he left off, scoring 10 more points and hitting some really tough shots.

Kyrie Irving led the Cavaliers with 25 points and eight assists in Cleveland’s home win over the Raptors on January 4, and he’s also been very good of late. The Raptors were in danger of having their 8-game home winning streak snapped by these precocious kids.

With his running mate DeMar DeRozan under the weather, Kyle Lowry decided to make up for the both of them.

Cavaliers also lead series all-time in Toronto, 20-19.

Terrence Ross added 15 points. Defensively, the Raptors yield 97.6 points against the opposing teams.

The defense struggled mightily for the rest of the quarter, which the Raptors ended on a 12-2 run to take a 37-28 lead after the first quarter. With 4:07 left, Dieng was fouled making a layup and the 3-point play reduced the lead to two points. The last time that the Cavaliers played in Toronto, Kevin Love had the kind of performance that Cleveland expects from him. If Toronto is going to make a run at the No. 1 seed, they need this win tonight. He has soreness in the heel but is expected to return at 100 percent….

The annual visit of the Minnesota Timberwolves to Toronto on Wednesday provided a chance for locals fans to get an up-close look at what might have been. Perhaps finding it hard to stay motivated without a real true challenger in the Eastern Conference, they’ve won many games against their rivals at a canter.

The Cleveland Cavaliers were and still are the odds on favorites to win the Eastern conference and represent it in the NBA Finals this season. “I’m just as concerned with the next game in Detroit (Sunday) as I am (Friday) night”, Casey said after practice at the team’s new BioSteel Centre.