It’s been just over a month since the Toronto Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers opened their seasons against each other, in which Cleveland dominated 136-106 back on Oct 23.
That game kicked off what would be the second-largest win streak to open a season in NBA history for the Cavaliers, who won 15 straight before the Boston Celtics handed them their first loss earlier in the week.
The Raptors went on a very different trajectory. While Cleveland ascended to the top of the league, Toronto plummeted, going 2-12 to start the year and sinking to last place.
Recently, however, the Dinos have strung multiple wins together for the first time this season, winning their last two contests against the Indiana Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Raptors Outlook: 4-12 | 13th in Eastern Conference | Off rating: 111.6 (18th) | Def rating: 116.6 (23rd) | Net rating: -5.0 (22nd)
Raptors Previous Results
vs Minnesota W 110-105
vs Indiana W 130-119
@ Boston L 126-123 OT
vs Detroit L 99-95
@ Milwaukee L 99-85
The Raptors are playing some of their best ball of the year as they begin a four-game road trip. This should come as no surprise as last year’s all-star Scottie Barnes recently returned to the court after suffering an orbital bone fracture on Oct. 28 against the Denver Nuggets.
In his first game back against the Timberwolves, the 23-year-old went for 17 points, six assists, and three rebounds while canning a pair of triples. It will be interesting to see how Barnes attacks the Cavaliers after putting up nine points, six rebounds, and five assists in their first meeting.
Another reason for the recent success has been the play of RJ Barrett, who is coming off of back-to-back 30-point games. In his last four contests, the Mississauga, Ont. native is averaging 29.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.5 assists.
The Canadian continues to get to the paint at will and has seen a jump in his playmaking ability.
Jakob Poeltl has also been a man on a mission over his last four games, putting up 26.3 points, 14.3 rebounds, and 2.3 stocks while shooting 70.1 percent from the field.
The veteran big will be going up against a tough matchup, however, with a pair of the league’s best defensive bigs on the other side in Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
Cavaliers Outlook: 16-1 | 1st in Eastern Conference | Off rating: 123.0 (first) | Def rating: 111.3 (10th) | Net rating: 11.7 (first)
Cavaliers Previous Results
vs New Orleans W 128-100
@ Boston L 120-117
vs Charlotte W 128-114
vs Chicago W 144-126
@ Philadelphia 114-106
Cleveland’s blistering hot start is thanks to their hyper-efficient offence and the play of the big four in Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Mobley, and Allen.
The Cavaliers lead the league in both field goal percentage (52.2) and three-point percentage (41.6) as they are consistently generating efficient looks seemingly every time down the floor.
That’s been largely thanks to the guard duo of Garland and Mitchell, who are putting up 44.9 points, 10.9 assists, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.6 steals combined. They are both shooting just under 50 percent from the field, over 40 percent from distance on high volume and have both been efficient from the charity stripe.
The bigs have both been doing their thing as well, with Evan Mobley standing out in particular. The 23-year-old is averaging career-highs in points (17.8) and three-point percentage (37.9 percent), while tacking on 8.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game.
The fourth-year man remains one of the best defenders in the league down low while showing versatility to either switch or play drop coverage.
Game Info
Tip-Off: 7:30 p.m. ET
Television: Sportsnet 360
Radio: Sportsnet 590 The Fan
Cleveland Cavaliers
PG: Darius Garland
SG: Donovan Mitchell
SF: Jaylon Tyson
PF: Evan Mobley
C: Jarrett Allen
Toronto Raptors
PG: Scottie Barnes
SG: Gradey Dick
SF: RJ Barrett
PF: Ochai Agbaji
C: Jakob Poeltl
Cavaliers
Isaac Okoro (Ankle) – Questionable
Dean Wade (Ankle) – Out
Caris LeVert (Knee) – Out
Max Strus (Ankle) – Out
Emoni Bates (Knee) – Out
Raptors
Bruno Fernando (Ankle) – Questionable
Immanuel Quickley (Elbow) – Out
D.J. Carton (Ankle) – Out
Bruce Brown Jr. (Knee) – Out
Kelly Olynyk (Back) – Out
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