It turns out all the Cavaliers needed was some Love and defense to regain control of the Eastern Conference finals.
The Cavs got a big first-half boost from forward Kevin Love and came away with an easy 116-78 win over the Raptors on Wednesday to take a three-games-to-two series lead.
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Love, the sometimes-third wheel of the Cleveland Big Three, showed up big time early, scoring 19 of his game-high 25 points in the first half as the Cavs surged to a 65-34 halftime lead they would never relinquish.
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Love's point total was nearly double the 13 combined he scored in Cleveland's back-to-back losses in Toronto.
The Raptors, meanwhile, regressed to the form that put them in an 0-2 hole. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, both of whom scored 30-plus points in Game 4, combined for just 27 points Wednesday night.
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The series heads north with the Raptors hoping they can rekindle the magic they found across the border. If they can't, they won't be booking a flight back.
Stud of the Night
Love gets the nod here. After two nondescript games north of the border, the big man came alive in Game 5, scoring 25 points while shooting 8 for 10 from the field. Where was this guy in Toronto?
Dud(s) of the Night
Everyone in a Toronto Raptors uniform. The. End.
Tweet of the Night
LeBron James is one win away from his sixth consecutive NBA Finals appearance. He contributed 23 points, six rebounds and eight assists Wednesday.
.@cavs defeat the @Raptors 116-78 & take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals! James 23p/6r/8a. #CAVSvRAPTORS pic.twitter.com/yFC3Ib2eqh
— NBA (@NBA) May 26, 2016
Looking ahead
Western Conference finals Game 5: Thunder at Warriors, 9 p.m. ET, TNT (Oklahoma City leads 3-1): For the first time since they were down 2-1 in the NBA Finals, the Warriors have their backs to the wall. One more loss, and their historic season will come to an early end. But don’t expect it to be Thursday night, if at all.