Raptors find themselves in big trouble
Toronto heads to Cleveland in familiar spot, trailing Cavaliers 2-0 in series
In a post-season that was supposed to be so different, the storyline was way too familiar.
LeBron James had 43 points and 14 assists to lead the Cavaliers to a 128-110 throttling of Toronto on Thursday, and takes a 2-0 lead in their second-round series back home to Cleveland, where the Raptors have never won in five playoff games.
Cavs big man Kevin Love added 31 points and 11 rebounds.
DeMar DeRozan had 24 points, while Kyle Lowry finished with 21 for the Raptors, who lost two consecutive games at home for the first time in their historic 59-win season. Jonas Valanciunas chipped in with 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Fred VanVleet had 14 points off the bench.
And once again Serge Ibaka, who’s been virtually M.I.A. for most of the post-season, had another horrible night - two points from free throws and 0-for-5 shooting.
Twice already Toronto has been dispatched by Cleveland in the post-season, in the Eastern Conference finals in 2016 and then last season, when the Raptors were swept in the second round, prompting Masai Ujiri’s culture reset and revamp of the team’s playing style.
Thursday, the Raptors led for most of the first half, but never by more than nine points, and were clutching just a two-point advantage at halftime.
Almost as if they’d been toying with Toronto, the Cavs hit another gear in the third quarter led by James and Love, whose 24 points in the quarter equalled Toronto’s scoring. A running layup by George Hill capped an 18-5 run, sucking much of the energy out of the Air Canada Centre. Cleveland took a 98-87 lead into the final frame.
The ugliness continued in the fourth, as the Cavs opened the quarter with a 7-0 run to take an 18-point lead.
The Raptors would pull within 13 points on a basket by Valanciunas midway through the period, but had zero answers for James who was scoring seemingly at will. And when J.R. Smith calmly drilled a three with 4:23 to play, hundreds of heartbroken Raptors fans headed for the exits.