DeRozan’s best is not enough
RAPTORS FALL TO 3-0 AGAINST CAVS WITH LOWRY ON THE BENCH
DeMar DeRozan made good on his promise to bounce back with a big game.
But on a night that Kyle Lowry spent on the bench nursing a sprained ankle, DeRozan’s best wasn’t good enough. And now the Toronto Raptors are one loss away from elimination.
Two nights after a five-point performance, DeRozan poured in a career playoff high 37 points, but the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the Toronto Raptors 115-94, and take a 3-0 lead into Sunday’s Game 4 of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal.
LeBron James scored 35 points to top the Cavaliers, who take a 3-0 lead into Sunday’s Game 4.
Moments after the loss, a downcast DeRozan addressed the frustration of a post-season gone wrong.
“No it hasn’t worked out the way we wanted it to,” DeRozan said. “We had different expectations, each and every game, each and every game’s been different.
“Tonight we competed extremely well. But it sucks when you get down late in the game. Nothing could fall for us, especially in that fourth quarter, start of the fourth quarter. Especially playing without Kyle.”
Jonas Valanciunas added 19 points for the Raptors, while Norman Powell chipped in with 13 and Serge Ibaka had 12.
The loss of Lowry was a huge blow to Toronto. The feisty point guard sprained his left ankle on Wednesday, joined his teammates for Friday’s warmup, but was limping noticeably, and spent the night on the bench.
DeRozan didn’t know he’d be missing his backcourt mate until right before team introductions.
“It was tough. It changes your mindset. Not just me, the whole team as well,” he said.
“He was going to try it, it was bothering him, he just couldn’t go,” coach Dwane Casey said. “He wanted to. The medical people said he shouldn’t try to go. He was in so much pain he just couldn’t go.”
The Raptors were relieved to be back at Air Canada Centre after being routed by a combined 33 points in Games 1 and 2 in Cleveland, buoyed by the fact they were in the same position last season — losing two in Cleveland, then bouncing back to win two.
The Raptors fought hard through three quarters, and led by as many as five points, despite shooting a woeful 2-of-18 from three-point range. They’d missed their first 12 three-point attempts before Powell finally ended the long-range drought with 3:09 to play in the third quarter. Kyle Korver drilled back-to-back three-pointers to send Cleveland into the fourth quarter with a 79-77 lead.
DeRozan truly proved his worth when he was on the bench to start the fourth. In less than two minutes, a two-point deficit swelled to eight points. Did he need the breather? “I could’ve kept going,” DeRozan said. “I didn’t feel like I needed a blow. At this point in time, there’s no need for rest.”
The Raptors went ice cold in the fourth, and Delon Wright’s basket less than a minute into the quarter was Toronto’s only field goal for a dreadful six-minute stretch. And when Brampton, Ont., native Tristan Thompson scored with 5:47 to play, it gave the Cavs a 99-80 lead, much to the dismay of the noisy, white-clad crowd that included Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip and rapper Drake. The two Canadian musicians met on the court at halftime for a warm embrace.
A basket by Valanciunas ended a 17-1 Cavs run with 5:20 to play, but the game had got away from Toronto by that point.
Facing the end of their season, Casey said Sunday’s game is about “pride.”
“You don’t want to get swept,” he said.