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Game Rap: Raptors 103, Cavaliers 99

Holly MacKenzie - Raptors.com

IT WAS OVER WHEN

Patrick Patterson drilled a three-pointer with 2:14 remaining to give the Raptors a 10-point lead. Kyle Lowry found Bismack Biyombo for easy dunks on the next two Toronto possessions and the Raptors walked off the floor with a 103-99 victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Toronto is now 10-6 on the season.

DRAKE NIGHT PERFECTION

Wednesday’s game helped the Raptors move to a perfect 3-0 on Drake Night. It also gave Toronto a 1-0 record in their black and gold OVO-inspired alternate uniforms.

SECOND HALF LOWRY

After a quiet first half where he scored seven points on 2-for-5 shooting, Kyle Lowry turned things up several notches in the third. Scoring 14 points in the quarter, Lowry helped to set the tone and intensity for Toronto in what was one of the team’s most complete efforts on the defensive end of the floor.

RAPTORS PLAYER OF THE GAME

Kyle Lowry finished with 27 points, six assists, three rebounds, four steals and a blocked shot in 38 minutes of action. He shot 11-for-17 from the floor, and went 9-for-12 in the second half, scoring 20 of his points after the break. In addition to scoring, Lowry sparked the team in the third quarter. Whether diving on the floor to get his hand on a loose ball, or tossing the ball up immediately after getting fouled in hopes of being awarded free throws, Lowry’s intensity was infectious.

UNDERRATED RAPTORS PLAYER(S) OF THE GAME

Bismack Biyombo, starting his second consecutive game for the injured Jonas Valanciunas, had a huge game on both ends of the floor. Biyombo played 33 minutes on Wednesday and he finished with 12 rebounds and 11 points (on 4-for-5 field goals).

THAT'S A RAP…

“Kyle, he can do that whenever he wants. He can pick and choose whenever he wants to. Sometimes he wants to get his teammates involved early, like he did with Luis Scola. Kyle’s a great point guard. I think he’s one of the top point guards in the league. He just showed tonight why he’s Kyle Lowry.”- DeMarre Carroll on Kyle Lowry’s big night

BY THE #’S

8… Steals for Toronto. The Raptors were led by Kyle Lowry, who had as many steals as the entire Cavaliers team (4).15… Points for Luis Scola who scored all 15 in the opening quarter.20… DeMar DeRozan scored 20 points for the 10th time this season and is averaging 20.8 points per game on the year.58… The Raptors scored 58 points in the paint while giving up just 28 points in the paint to Cleveland.16… Lead changes and seven ties in the game.24… Points, six rebounds and eight assists for LeBron James, but the Raptors made him work for each of his points and he finished the game shooting 6-for-16 from the floor.

THEY SAID IT…

“We have a heck of a defender in DeMarre Carroll. That is one of the main treasons we brought him in. He did a heck of a job. You saw it in the last year in the playoffs and he’s carried it over in helping us. It’s not just him. We try to make it a team concept as well and make everything as tough as possible.”- DeMar DeRozan on how the team worked to slow LeBron James“He set the tone for us defensively. Protecting the paint, talking, being physical, being a deterrent at the rim and that was big for us as far as protecting the past. That’s a good team. That team right there has so many weapons, and it starts with LeBron, so we were very fortunate to play a complete game.”- Dwane Casey on the impact of Bismack Biyombo“I think we did a good job defensively. I think we got a little bit better tonight defensively. We gave up way too many threes, but they have a team of three-point shooters and they move the ball extremely well. They are going to get some open shots. They knocked them down tonight, but we got the steps that we needed.”- Kyle Lowry, pleased with the team’s effort on the defensive end of the floor“Oh man. When you see your best player on the floor diving for the loose ball it makes the other four guys out there like, ‘We’ve got to do something extreme as well, to keep it going.’ That’s what’s all about. Hustle plays like that, taking advantage of it…It makes it a lot easier. A lot of times, guys just look at him, whether its the defensive end or the offensive end. He thinks two, three plays ahead.”- DeMar DeRozan on Kyle Lowry making it easier for everyone with hustle and smart basketball players

UP NEXT:

The Raptors head to Washington to face the Wizards on Saturday night at 7:00 P.M. ET.