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LeBron, Love Rally Past Raptors

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Wrap-Up -- It might be too late in the season for statement games. But if the Cavaliers were looking to make a statement on Wednesday night it was that LeBron James is still the alpha dog of the Eastern Conference – and opponents will have to get through him to reach the top of it.

LeBron continued his jaw-dropping late-season run – handing out 17 assists without committing a single turnover and leading both squads with 35 points as the Wine & Gold rallied from a 15-point halftime deficit to knock off the hottest squad in the East in a 132-129 thriller at The Q.

Toronto shredded the Cavaliers defense through the first two quarters – tallying 79 points at halftime, shooting 63 percent from the floor, going 12-for-18 from beyond the arc.

But Cleveland knuckled down defensively after intermission – holding the Conference’s highest-scoring team to just 20 points on 5-for-19 shooting. The Cavaliers would close that third period on a 23-9 run to cut Toronto’s lead to a single point heading to the fourth.

The Cavs would eventually take the lead on LeBron’s dunk with just under four minutes to play, but it was James’ final assist of the night that decided the game – spinning through the lane and finding a wide-open Kevin Love positioned outside the arc across from Toronto’s bench. And with Cleveland clinging to a one-point lead with 27 seconds remaining, Love calmly splashed home the triple to put the Cavs up, 128-124.

On the night, LeBron went 11-for-19 from the floor and 12-of-14 from the stripe – adding seven boards and a steal to his routinely-gaudy numbers.

As a team, the Cavaliers earned their third straight win and second consecutive on their three-game homestand. The victory marked their ninth in Toronto’s last 10 visits, including Playoffs, and gave the Wine & Gold some measure of revenge following the Raptors’ 34-point drubbing of the Cavs back in early January at Air Canada Centre.

Kevin Love has returned to the lineup without missing a beat – finishing with 23 points in just his second game back after a 21-game layoff while he rehabbed his fractured left hand. The five-time All-Star led both teams with 12 rebounds and four assists – going 8-for-15 from the floor, including 4-of-6 from long-range.

George Hill almost couldn’t miss against Toronto – literally – going 10-of-11 from the floor, including 2-of-2 from three-point range, to go with three boards and a pair of steals.

Hill’s backcourt mate on Wednesday was almost as efficient from the floor – with Jose Calderon drilling all four of his three-point attempts and finishing 5-of-7 from the floor overall, adding four assists and a rebound in the win.

George Hill

George Hill comes up big with 22 points on 10-of-11 shooting.

Jeff Green made his sixth straight start and tallied double-figures in his fifth straight – notching 15 points on 4-for-9 shooting. JR Smith completed the Cavaliers in double-figures, netting 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting, going 2-of-3 from deep in 27 minutes off the bench.

As they did in their win over Cleveland back in early January, the Raptors got big production from their young reserves – with Jakob Poeltl, Fred VanVleet and Delon Wright combining for 45 points.

Toronto’s dynamic backcourt combo of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan combined for 45 more, but it wasn’t enough to save the Raptors on Wednesday night – with the regular season’s rubber match slated for April 3 at The Q.

Turning Point -- Even though the Cavaliers offense was clicking through the first half, Toronto’s was that much better – and they seemed to be in total control through the first two-and-a-half quarters. But things fell apart for Dwane Casey’s squad in the final half of the third.

With Cleveland trailing by a baker’s dozen with 5:22 left in the third period, Kevin Love got things going with a three-pointer. Free throws by LeBron, Jeff Green and Ante Zizic helped whittle down the lead.

Toronto’s edge was seven with exactly one minute to play in the quarter, but back-to-back triples by Jose Calderon and JR Smith cut the Raptors’ lead to just a single point heading into the fourth.

By the Numbers1 … player in NBA history to post a game of at least 35 points and 15 assists without committing a single turnover: LeBron James in Wednesday’s win over Toronto.

QuotableGeorge Hill, on the importance of Wednesday’s win …

”It’s super important. Any time we can get a big win like this, especially with some guys down, it’s a confidence boost. Hopefully we can get the guys back, continue to build off this win and try to be on the right foot going into the postseason.”

Up Next -- With two matchups down in their three-game homestand, the Wine & Gold welcome the Suns to Cleveland for a Friday night matchup. After that, it’s three more back out on the open road – facing off against the Nets on Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn followed by their first back-to-back in over a month, taking on the Heat on Tuesday night in Miami followed by a Wednesday night battle against Kemba Walker and the Hornets. The Cavaliers return home afterward to close out the month of March against the Pelicans next Friday night.

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