It looked like it was going to be just another vintage Raptors performance — and not in a good way.
Toronto saw its healthy 18-point third-quarter cushion dwindle, little by little, allowing the Cavaliers to take the lead in the fourth quarter. But this time, Toronto didn’t fold as they have so many times before, riding Kyle Lowry’s scoring touch and Bismack Biyombo’s rebounding and defense to a 105-99 win to tie the Eastern Conference finals at two games apiece.
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Lowry exploded for 35 points and added five assists for the Raptors, who looked like an entirely different team than the one that dropped two games by a combined 50 points to open the series in Cleveland.
Equally important for the Raptors was Biyombo, who grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked three shots. He altered several others, at times closing off the paint to the Cavs, who have suddenly gone cold from the 3-point line.
So now,the series shifts back to Cleveland, which many thought wouldn't happen after the first two games. The Raptors are also guaranteed one more trip to Canada for Game 6.
Maybe the Raptors are finally growing up on us.
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Stud of the night
This one goes for both Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. The Raptors backcourt duo combined for 67 points, 35 for Lowry and 32 for DeRozan. They shot a combined 28-for-43 from the field.
Dud of the night
J.R. Smith was emblematic of his team’s struggle on Monday night, going 3-for-12 from the field. All but one of those attempts were 3-pointers, and he didn’t get to the free throw line once. He also got torched on the defensive end (see Lowry and DeRozan’s numbers.)
Tweet of the night
LeBron James performed well, putting up 29 points, nine rebounds and six assists, but it wasn’t enough to get the job done. He also failed to score in the final minutes in the fourth quarter.
Levitate. Levitate. Levitate. #NBAVine #CAVSvRAPTORS https://t.co/5iEZ8yNhBw
— NBA (@NBA) May 24, 2016
Looking ahead
Western Conference finals Game 4: Warriors at Thunder, 9 p.m. ET, TNT (OKC leads 2-1) — So we know Draymond Green will play in Game 4. But even with Green, the Warriors have their work cut out for them in Oklahoma City. The Warriors haven’t lost back-to-back games all year, so they are more than capable.