Game Rap

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Kyle Korver hit a pair of free throws to put the Cavaliers ahead by seven with 18.5 seconds remaining. In their final game of the season, the Toronto Raptors pushed until the final buzzer sounded, dropping a 109-102 decision to Cleveland. The Cavaliers won the series 4-0 to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Kyle Lowry did not suit up in uniform for Sunday's game. Though he spent Saturday getting treatment in hopes of being able to play, the ankle sprain suffered in Game 2 prevented him from being able to be on the court with his teammates. Cory Joseph remained in the starting lineup in place of Lowry for the second consecutive game, while P.J. Tucker also moved into the starting five alongside DeMar DeRozan, Serge Ibaka and Jonas Valanciunas.

Toronto got off to a solid start on Sunday, leading throughout most of the first quarter. The Raptors led by 11 with 2:38 remaining in the quarter before allowing Cleveland to close the quarter on a 13-2 run to tie the game at 28 all after the opening 12 minutes. Both teams shot well in the quarter, with the Cavaliers shooting 50 percent and the Raptors 57 percent. Toronto moved the ball well in the opening quarter, assisting on nine of 12 made field goals. The Raptors had well-balanced scoring to start, with Serge Ibaka leading the way with seven points and P.J. Tucker and DeMar DeRozan each adding five points. LeBron James led all scorers with 10 points for the Cavaliers.

After that hot shooting start, the Raptors offence cooled down to 42 percent in the second quarter, while giving up 52 percent shooting to Cleveland. The Cavs caught fire from beyond the arc thanks to Kyle Korver who came off the bench to play the entire quarter. He shot 6-for-8 from the floor and 4-for-6 from three as he scored 16 points in a quarter where Toronto was scoreless from deep. Thanks to Korver's hot-shooting, the Cavaliers outscored Toronto 33-21 in the second quarter to take a 61-49 lead into the half. Korver and James each led Cleveland with 16 points while Serge Ibaka's 13 points led the Raptors.

The Raptors came out of the locker room after halftime ready to put points in the board. Toronto shot 55 percent in the third quarter while holding Cleveland to 45 percent shooting. After giving up 10 3-pointers in the first half, the Raptors held the Cavs to three in the third while starting connect on some of their own, shooting 4-of-11 from downtown as they outscored Cleveland 31-24 in the third to trim a 12-point lead down to five, 85-80, heading into the fourth. DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors in the third with nine points, while Serge Ibaka added seven points. Cory Joseph had six assists in the quarter. The Cavaliers were led by 10 points from LeBron James.

A P.J. Tucker 3-pointer got the Raptors within two on Toronto's first possession of the final quarter. It also fired up an Air Canada Centre that only got louder when a Fred VanVleet 3-pointer trimmed Cleveland's lead to a point with 9:51 remaining. Toronto took the lead, 93-92, on a three-point play from Serge Ibaka with 6:38 remaining. From there, the Cavaliers reeled off a 14-2 run to take an 11-point lead with 2:54 remaining. Kyrie Irving scored 11 of the 14 in the Cleveland flurry. Despite Toronto's best efforts, they were unable to connect on multiple looks from beyond the arc and the Cavaliers used Irving's 11-point fourth quarter effort to close out the series.

Cory Joseph left everything on the floor on Sunday, his second game starting in place of the injured Kyle Lowry. Joseph played 40 minutes in the loss, finishing with 20 points, a game-high 12 assists, six rebounds and a steal. He shot 8-for-11 from the floor, made his only 3-point attempt and was 3-for-3 from the free throw line.

P.J. Tucker played 46 minutes on Sunday, giving everything he had as he tried to slow LeBron James. Tucker finished with 14 points, a game-high 12 rebounds both playoff career-highs, to go along with an assist and four steals in 46 minutes. He was 5-for-11 from the floor and 4-for-7 from beyond the arc. DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points to go with eight assists and four rebounds in 46 minutes. DeRozan was 8-for-18 from the floor and 6-for-9 from the free throw line.

"It's tough. We know we could have played better in the first three games. We didn't. First of all, I want to congratulate the Cleveland Cavaliers. I think they're a well-oiled machine, playing on all cylinders right now. What did James shoot, 48 percent from 3 the whole series? When he's hitting the shot like that, they're very difficult to beat. You've got to match tit for tat to beat them. To answer your question, I thought we could have played better the first three games. Today, I thought the guys played. In that do-or-die situation, guys can easily pack it in. I thought our guys played with grit, toughness, togetherness. I think it's a testament to their character and the culture that those guys have created. We all want to win. I don't know if we're there yet. We're knocking on the door. I like our team. I wish we had a little more time to gel together. I didn't do a good enough job getting them to gel, quick enough to play at a championship level. But each guy in that offence contributed in some way." - Dwane Casey on a tough second-round series against the Cavaliers

16... made 3-pointers for Cleveland compared to 10 for Toronto. The Cavs shot 16-for-41 from beyond the arc (39 percent), while Toronto connected on 10-of-29 attempts (35 percent).

36... Rebounds for the Cavaliers, 29 for the Raptors.

33... Bench points scored by Cleveland compared to 15 for Toronto. Kyle Korver led the Cavs reserves with 18 points off the bench.

13... Turnovers for Toronto leading to 17 points scored by the Cavaliers. Cleveland turned the ball over 11 times, but Toronto scored just nine points off their miscues.

16... Fast break points scored by the Cavaliers, zero for the Raptors.

23... Points for Serge Ibaka to lead the Raptors offensively.

35... Points, nine rebounds, six assists in 46 minutes for LeBron James to lead the Cavaliers.

"At the end of the day, you gotta give them credit. They're a hell of a team for a reason. They got one of the greatest players of all time. It's on us to let this sink in and understand we gotta come back extremely better, individual and team wise. It's something that we got great experience with playing these guys two years in a row. We just gotta figure it out. We gotta figure it out."- DeMar DeRozan on a long offseason and giving Cleveland credit

"It's tough. You surround LeBron with shooters and he draws so much attention that if you help a little bit too much he finds them and they knock them down on a consistent basis and we weren't able to knock down our threes. We had some great looks but for some reason they just weren't fall."- Patrick Patterson on Cleveland's roster creating problems with their 3-point shooting

"He did a great job. Physicality was huge for us since the time he came to the team. He's been very, very helpful for us, obviously it's very, very tough to guard LeBron James, he's a great player, we all know that. With that being said, he did a good job."- Cory Joseph on P.J. Tucker's effort against LeBron James

"Anytime you go against someone who wants to compete you respect that and PJ has been like that since we were kids, all the way through AAU ball, high school, Texas and since he's been part of this league, he's always been a guy that at the end of day is never going wonder if he left it all on out there and as a competitor I can always respect that. Going against him over the years and since we were kids, it was definitely fun to be a part of."- LeBron James with praise for P.J. Tucker's defence against him

"It's hard to say. If's and but's are candy and nuts and we'd all have a Merry Christmas. But nobody really cares. I know Cleveland didn't care. Nobody cares. You always would love to have a training camp with the group to start from scratch but we didn't. I was so happy and it was a great move by our organization to get those guys because they kind of stand for what we needed. We just picked a bad number to draw in the second round or semi-finals. Again, it feels bad and it was ugly but it shouldn't diminish that excellent regular season we had and could have even had a better regular season. I think this group can gel and continue to grow and I know that is a tough word but grow together and even get better. I think we picked a team to go against that was a buzzsaw."- Dwane Casey on if having more time for his team to gel post trade-deadline would have made a difference in the postseason

The Toronto Raptors will have exit interviews at Bio Steel before departing for the offseason following their second consecutive 50-win season.

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2017 Playoffs: Round 2, Game 4 - Raptors 102, Cavs 109

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DeMar DeRozan left the game with 3:27 remaining and the Cavaliers ahead by 21. After sticking with the Cavaliers through the first three quarters, Cleveland outscored Toronto 36-17 in the fourth to collect a 115-94 victory and take a 3-0 series lead. Game 4 will be in Toronto on Sunday afternoon.

Shortly before game time the Raptors starting lineup was revealed and head coach Dwane Casey decided to switch things up. Like Toronto’s first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks, Casey decided to insert Norman Powell into the starting lineup in place of Jonas Valanciunas, but he also elected to make another adjustment, starting Patrick Patterson in place of DeMarre Carroll. Powell and Carroll joined Serge Ibaka, DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry.

Although Kyle Lowry was in uniform for Game 3, he did not play. Lowry sustained a sprained ankle in the second half of Game 2 in Cleveland. Despite his best efforts, he wasn’t able to go on Friday night. After the game, Dwane Casey discussed Lowry’s attempt — and desire — to be on the floor with his teammates.

“He went out and was going to try it,” Casey said. “It was still bothering him. He was limping badly but he just couldn’t go. He wanted to, the trainers and Alex, the medical people were telling him you shouldn’t try to go because he was just, he was in so much pain and he just couldn’t go. He wanted to.”

With Lowry out of the lineup, the Raptors switched up their starting five up from Game 2 in Cleveland. Cory Joseph started in place of Lowry while Jonas Valanciunas was moved back into the starting lineup, joining Serge Ibaka, Norman Powell  and DeMar DeRozan.

The Raptors got off to their best start of the series in Game 3, despite allowing the Cavaliers to shoot 53 percent from the floor in the first quarter. Though Toronto shot just 46 percent in comparison — and 0-for-6 from the 3-point line —  they trailed the Cavaliers by just four points after the opening 12 minutes. The Raptors moved the ball well, assisting on seven of 11 field goals, with Serge Ibaka, Jonas Valanciunas and DeMar DeRozan each scoring eight points. Cleveland was led by Kevin Love’s 10 points, as the Cavs led 28-24 after the first 12 minutes.

Toronto found its groove in the second quarter, hitting 55 percent if its field goals. In comparison, the Cavaliers went cold from the floor, shooting 32 percent as they were held to 21 points in the quarter. Cleveland made up for their shooting woes by connecting on 4-of-8 3-pointers while the Raptors continued to be scoreless from deep, going 0-for-3 from beyond the arc. The Cavaliers were led by 10 points from LeBron James, while DeMar DeRozan was brilliant for Toronto. DeRozan led the Raptors with 13 points on 4-for-6 field goals, making all five of his free throws and adding three steals as he helped the Raptors outscore Cleveland 28-21 in the quarter to hold a 52-49 halftime lead.

The Cavaliers came out of the halftime break hot, bouncing back from 32-percent shooting in the second quarter to make 52 percent of their shots in the third, while outscoring Toronto 30-25. While DeMar DeRozan had another fantastic effort in the third, again leading the Raptors with 15 points, the Raptors did not close the quarter well. After sticking with the Cavs through the back-and-forth quarter, Toronto gave up back-to-back 3-pointers from Kyle Korver to go into the fourth quarter trailing by two, 79-77.

Things went downhill quickly for Toronto in the final quarter as the team tried to give DeMar DeRozan and Cory Joseph a quick breather for the first couple of minutes of the fourth. The Cavaliers quickly turned a two-point lead into a 19-point advantage as the Toronto offence went ice-cold. After holding the Cavaliers to 49 points in the first half, Toronto’s defence fell apart in the fourth as they gave up 36 points to Cleveland on a ridiculous 79 percent from the floor and 80 percent (4-for-5) from beyond the arc. Cleveland opened the fourth on a 20-3 run. In comparison, the fourth was a struggle all around for Toronto. The Raptors shot 30 percent from the floor as they were held to 17 points.

DeMar DeRozan was excellent in a losing decision, scoring a game-high 37 points in 41 minutes as he did all that he could to propel the Raptors to a victory. He shot 12-for-23 from the floor, 13-for-13 from the foul line and added two rebounds, three assists and three steals, without turning the ball over.

Jonas Valanciunas had another strong effort after he was moved back into the starting lineup. In 33 minutes Valanciunas scored 19 points on 8-for-10 field goals to go with eight rebounds.

“We got another opportunity. We can’t look at it like history of teams being down 3-0, whatever it may be, we have an opportunity to have another opportunity and that’s all that matters, and we gotta go out and play that way.”- DeMar DeRozan on the approach heading into Sunday’s Game 4

51...51…Percent shooting for Cleveland, 44 percent shooting for Toronto.

13...made 3-pointers for the Cavaliers who shot 13-for-23 (57 percent) from beyond the arc. The Raptors connected on just 2-of-18 attempts from three, and opened the game 0-for-12 from deep before Norman Powell hit the team’s first 3-pointer in the third quarter. Through three games, Cleveland has made 45 3-pointers to 17 for Toronto.

49...Rebounds for the Cavaliers and just 25 for the Raptors. Toronto also was held to just one offensive rebound while Cleveland had eight.

16...Turnovers for the Cavaliers, leading to 11 points scored by the Raptors. Toronto was solid at taking care of the ball with just six turnovers leading to three points scored by Cleveland.

9...Points scored by Toronto’s bench compared to 29 points scored by Cleveland’s bench.

“Our bench has to come in and give us a boost and for whatever reason they couldn’t get started. We had to give DeMar, Jonas and Cory some kind of blow [in the fourth]. The three ball hurt us, knocking down open threes. I thought we did an excellent job of moving the basketball, finding the right person. It’s something we’ve done, knock down threes all year and for whatever reason it’s escaping us right now, but I liked our fight, I love the way our guys competed. There was no backdown. That stretch, right at the beginning of the fourth quarter is what got us.” - Dwane Casey on the stretch to start the fourth quarter

“Yeah, we were fighting. We were fighting. It was up and down. We were fighting. Honestly, today, we were not giving up. But they were better than us today.”- Jonas Valanciunas on leaving everything on the floor

“You gotta give ‘em credit. They’re a hell of a team. They’re in sync on both ends. It’s tough. We competed for, you know, 36 minutes tonight. And them 12 minutes, they took advantage of it, and they ran away with it. You gotta give ‘em credit. They are the champs for a reason.”- DeMar DeRozan on the Cavaliers pulling away in the fourth quarter

Game 4 will be played on Sunday on the Air Canada Centre floor at 3:30 P.M. ET.

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2017 Playoffs: Round 2, Game 3 - Raptors 94, Cavs 115

DeMar DeRozan left the game with the Cavaliers ahead by 27 and 6:45 remaining in the game. It was a rough night for DeRozan and the Raptors as Cleveland led by 12 after the opening quarter and never trailed again en route to picking up a 125-103 Game 2 win. Cleveland now has a 2-0 series lead with the series shifting to Toronto for Game 3 on Friday.

Kyle Lowry briefly left the game after suffering a sprained ankle 27 seconds into the third quarter. After going to the locker room with trainers, Lowry returned to the floor and remained in the game until the 2:40 mark of the third when he exited for good and the team announced that he would not return because of the left ankle sprain. After the game Lowry spoke with the media and acknowledged that the ankle is "pretty sore" but that he planned to get treatment and get ready for Game 3 on Friday.

The Cavaliers started Game 2 even stronger than Game 1. Though Jonas Valanciunas came off the bench to lead the Raptors with 10 points on 5-for-6 shooting, the Raptors could not contain Cleveland at all, allowing the Cavaliers to shoot 71 percent in the opening quarter. Making things worse for Toronto, Cleveland was perfect from beyond the arc, making all five of their 3-point attempts, as well as 5-of-6 free throws while the Raptors were 2-of-5 from beyond the arc and didn’t attempt a free throw in the quarter. After the first 12 minutes, the Cavaliers led 34-22.

Toronto’s defence was better in the second quarter. After giving up a 71 percent shooting performance to the Cavaliers in the first, Toronto held Cleveland to 48 percent shooting in the second, while shooting 52 percent, thanks in large part to a perfect 4-for-4 field goals from Jonas Valanciunas. Despite shooting a better percentage, the Cavaliers still won the quarter, 28-26 to stretch their halftime lead to 14, the same gap at halftime of Game 1 on Monday night. Valanciunas led the Raptors with 19 points in 13 minutes on 9-for-10 shooting while Lowry added 15 points and four assists. LeBron James led the Cavaliers with 19 points on 6-for-9 field goals while Channing Fry added 10 points off the bench.

The Cavaliers had their highest-scoring quarter of the game, exploding for 37 points in the third. Things went from bad to worse for Toronto when Kyle Lowry injured his ankle at the 11:33 mark of the quarter. Though he left the court and went to the locker room immediately, he would return to the floor and play until the 2:40 mark of the third, when he was taken out and the team announced that he would not return. Cleveland shot 53 percent while holding Toronto to 41 percent shooting in the third as they outscored the Raptors 37-25 en route to taking a 99-73 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Toronto was scoreless from beyond the arc in the quarter, while the Cavaliers hit 4-of-8 attempts from deep. LeBron James scored 17 points in the third on five field goal attempts, while Kyrie Irving added 15 points. Toronto was led by Serge Ibaka’s 10 points.

With a 26-point deficit to start the fourth, the Raptors were unable to make a late comeback. The fourth was the only quarter where Toronto outscored Cleveland as well as being the only quarter where the Raptors reached 30 points. Toronto outscored Cleveland 30-26 in the fourth, but Cleveland’s lead swelled to as many as 30 before Toronto started putting in its reserves. Kyle Lowry did not play in the fourth because of the ankle sprain sustained in the third quarter, and Toronto’s bench played heavy minutes in the quarter. Similarly, LeBron James played half of the fourth, but was the only Cavaliers starter to be on the floor.

Jonas Valanciunas led the Raptors with 23 points off the bench. He played 20 minutes, shooting 10-for-13 from the floor, including 3-for-5 from the free throw line. Valanciunas also added five rebounds.

Cory Joseph came off the bench to play 24 minutes. He scored 18 points on 8-of-14 field goals, including 2-of-3 3-point field goals. Joseph added six rebounds, an assist, a steal and a blocked shot when he was on the floor.

“Yep, last year. Same exact moment. It seems identical. We got our butts spanked. We came in at home and we were a different team. That’s something that’s encouraging. We know we can do it. We haven’t played well at all, at all, collectively on either end. That’s a positive for us going back home, to our home court, and try to make something happen.”- DeMar DeRozan on being in the same situation as a season ago heading back to Toronto

55...Percent shooting for Cleveland, 47 percent shooting for Toronto.

8...Made 3-pointers for the Cavaliers (18-of-33) compared to just five for Toronto (5-for-17). Toronto finished with one more made field goal than Cleveland (42 for Toronto, 41 for Cleveland), but the Cavaliers had an 18-5 advantage from the 3-point line while also making 11 more free throws.

74...Percent shooting from the line for both teams, but the Cavaliers were 25-for-34 while the Raptors were 14-for-19.

39...Points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals, two blocked shots for LeBron James on 10-of-14 field goals, including 4-for-6 3-point field goals and 15-for-21 free throws.

“They did what they were supposed to do on their home floor, we've got to go home and protect our home floor. For us to win the series, yeah, we've got to win one here, but right now we have to focus on Game 3, going back home, protecting home court. Last year is last year, that doesn't matter. But this year we have to go there, protect home court, and take it game by game, possession by possession. Right now they're out to a 2-0 lead, but we've got to go home and try to flip the script on them.”- Kyle Lowry on the series shifting to Toronto

“It sucks. It sucks. To lose like we did, to play like I did, it sucks. It’s frustrating, Now just having time, having to wait until Friday night to redeem yourself.” - DeMar DeRozan on the mood after a frustrating loss and performance

“We should be embarrassed, angry, pissed off, mad. We’re in the same situation we were in last year, now what are we going to do about it? We’ve been talking about it for a week. We’ll go back and watch the film and  try to find solutions, but until we play at the level of taking away the three, the paint, getting out and rotating quicker…and offensively, we’ve got to be able to score. We only had 17 3-point attempts and we need more than that.”- Dwane Casey on the emotions of the team

The series will shift to Toronto for Game 3 on the Air Canada Centre floor on Friday at 7 P.M. ET.

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2017 Playoffs: Round 2, Game 1 - Raptors 103, Cavs 125

both teams pulled their starters with the Cavaliers ahead by 20 with 3:18 remaining. Cleveland led by 12 after a dominant opening quarter. The Raptors were able to get within two in the second quarter, but were unable to ever retake the lead as Cleveland earned a 116-105 Game 1 victory to take a 1-0 series lead.

After spending the weekend talking about being ready for the Cavaliers, the Raptors got off to a rocky start in the first quarter of Game 1. Cleveland shot 52 percent in the quarter, and pieced together two 10-0 runs to lead 30-18 after the first 12 minutes. Toronto struggled offensively, shooting just 33 percent while turning the ball over five times, leading to eight points for the Cavaliers. Kyrie Irving had a hot start to lead all scorers with 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting in the first quarter.

The second quarter was a roller coaster. A Kyle Lowry + Serge Ibaka + bench lineup reeled off a 19-3 run to trim an 18-point Cavaliers lead down to two before allowing Cleveland to close the half on a 21-9 run. Despite shooting 50 percent and holding the Cavaliers to 37 percent shooting, Toronto was still outscored by Cleveland 32-30 in the quarter to lead 62-48 at the half. Kyrie Irving led Cleveland with 16 points and five assists while LeBron James added 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Though Toronto shot better than Cleveland, (46 percent for the Raptors compared to 44 percent for the Cavs), the Cavaliers outscored the Raptors 34-25 in the third quarter. Thanks to a 12-point quarter from LeBron James — on just five shots —, Cleveland stretched its lead to 23 points heading into the final quarter. Through three quarters, the Raptors had just one fewer made field goal than Cleveland, but the Cavaliers nearly doubled their made 3-point field goals (14-8), while going 22-of-25 at the free throw line compared to Toronto’s 8-for-8 performance at the line.

Toronto opened the fourth strong offensively, but could not get the stops it needed to trim the lead. Norman Powell and P.J. Tucker provided a spark in the fourth, but the Raptors were unable to close the distance and Dwane Casey subbed out his starters with 3:18 remaining and the Cavaliers lead still at 20. With both team’s reserves on the floor to close, Toronto outscored Cleveland 13-4 in the final three minutes of the game to trim the Cavaliers margin of victory to 11 at the final buzzer. LeBron James led all scorers with 35 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, a steal and a blocked shot. Kyrie Irving added 24 points and 10 assists. The Raptors were led by Kyle Lowry’s 20 points and 11 assists while DeMar DeRozan added 19 points.

Kyle Lowry led Toronto with 20 points and 11 assists in 40 minutes. He shot 7-for-13 from the floor, 2-for-4 from beyond the arc and 4-for-4 from the free throw line. He added two rebounds and a steal as well.

P.J. Tucker came off the bench to play 26 minutes. He recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while adding an assist and a blocked shot. Tucker shot 6-for-11 from the floor.

“We did not play with the force we needed to tonight. We didn’t get close enough to their shooters to make them feel us. That was the difference in our game, covering the paint, and then getting out [to the shooters]. I don’t think that we played with the type of physicality that we needed to in this game. They were well rested. They were flying around, just about a half step quicker than we were all night. We have to make adjustments as far as how we want to guard the paint and then get out to the three-point line. Offensively, we also want to get cleaner looks.”-  Dwane Casey on Game 1

46...Rebounds for the Cavaliers, 43 for the Raptors.

12...Turnovers for Toronto leading to 18 points scored by the Cavaliers. Cleveland also had 12 turnovers, leading to 13 points scored by the Raptors.

44...Percent shooting for Toronto, 46 percent shooting for Cleveland.

14...Made 3-pointers for the Cavaliers who shot 14-for-34 from beyond the arc. The Raptors connected on 10 3-pointers, making 10-of-26 attempts.

“Everything. It starts defensively. We got some great looks tonight that didn’t fall. We encourage our guys to keep shooting but defensively we let them get going. Once you let them see the basketball go in, it becomes contagious for them. That is what happened tonight.”- DeMar DeRozan on what needs to change in Game 2

“It seems the same. They get big spurts, and we fight back. We have to find ways to eliminate the spurts. We know that they are going to be a high-flying team that likes to get up and down. But we have to find a way to not let them get going and get the crowd involved. We have to find ways to not let them get into transition, and not have live ball turnovers, because that kills us.” - Kyle Lowry when asked if the game had similarities to the series against the Cavaliers a season ago

“I’ve seen a lot of playoff games from my previous team and being here last year. I’ve been in a lot of situations like that. You just always have to play until that clock is zero, zero, zero, zero, whatever. You could never get too high or you can never get too low. Sometimes we get lazy. a little lazy. We tend to miss rotations and stuff when we build that cushion. We’ve got to be more disciplined. I was just saying during that timeout, because the scene was a little bit intense, guys looked tight on the bench, I was telling them relax, let’s move the ball, let’s run some plays, let’s do the things that got us up that high in the first place and just try to calm them down.”- Cory Joseph on the message in a late timeout when the Bucks were ahead 80-78

“There was enough positive things in there, we had, what, 22 assists I think it was; we missed so many open shots, open looks that I know guys can knock down. P.J. Tucker, a couple of inches [back and] his shots are threes, he had what, three or four of those. But defensively the things that we did not do properly, as far as our rotation was concerned, getting close enough to a guy like Korver coming into the game, we know what he’s going to do; J.R. Smith, getting close to him. You’re going to slow James down, you’re not going to stop him but there’s other things we can do in our schemes that we made huge mistakes on in the first half.”- Dwane Casey on positives to take from the game

The Raptors will take on the Cavaliers in Cleveland for Game 2 on Wednesday at 7 P.M. ET.

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2017 Playoffs: Round 2, Game 1 - Raptors 105, Cavs 116

DeMar DeRozan hit a pair of free throws to put the Raptors ahead by three with 3.1 seconds remaining and then Patrick Patterson stole the ball to seal a wild 92-89 Game 6 victory, giving Toronto a 4-2 series win against the Milwaukee Bucks. Toronto will now move on to face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round.

Toronto opened Game 6 strong, shooting 52 percent while working hard on defence to keep the Bucks at 47 percent. DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors offensively with 10 points in a quarter where six players scored for Toronto. Giannis Antetokounmpo again led the Bucks, scoring 14 points in the opening quarter on 5-for-7 field goals. Toronto’s defence helped force the Bucks into six turnovers, leading to eight points scored by the Raptors as Toronto held a 28-24 lead after the first 12 minutes.

Toronto’s defence was the star of the second, as the Raptors forced the Bucks into 27 percent shooting, as Milwaukee shot just 6-of-22 in the quarter. Toronto went 9-for-22 as the Raptors outscored Milwaukee 23-14 in the quarter. The Raptors had a good-shooting first half from deep, making 4-of-10 3-point field goals, while holding Milwaukee to 1-for-9 from beyond the arc. Toronto held its largest lead of the game at halftime, leading 51-38 behind a 16-point half from DeMar DeRozan. Giannis Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 18 points in the half.

The third quarter felt like two separate quarters as Toronto continued to roll after half, stretching that 13-point halftime lead to 25 points on a 3-pointer from DeMarre Carroll midway through the quarter. From there, the Bucks closed the quarter on a 15-3 run to cut Toronto’s lead to 13 heading into the fourth. Toronto shot 57 percent in the third while Milwaukee finished the quarter shooting 56 percent thanks to that late-quarter run. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with nine points in the third while DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with eight points.

After Milwaukee closed the third on a 15-3 run, things got worse for Toronto in the fourth. The 15-3 run ballooned to a 34-7 run as the Raptors scored just four points in nine minutes and the Bucks took a two-point lead on a Jason Terry 3-pointer with 3:06 remaining. After Milwaukee led by two on a layup from Greg Monroe with 2:29 remaining, the Raptors dug in, reeling off their own 9-0 run to take a seven-point lead with 33.9 on the clock. That run was made up of a dunk from Patrick Patterson, a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws from Cory Joseph, as well as a thunderous, emphatic slam from DeMar DeRozan. Though the Bucks continued to push, DeRozan made free throws late to give Toronto a three-point lead with 3.1 seconds remaining and a Patterson steal on the inbounds sealed the victory and the series for Toronto.

DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with 32 points in 41 minutes. He shot 12-for-24 from the floor and 8-for-9 from the free throw line while adding four rebounds, three assists and five steals. DeRozan’s eight points in the fourth led Toronto offensively, but it was the thunderous driving dunk with 48.7 seconds remaining to give Toronto a five-point advantage that was the defining play of the game.

Kyle Lowry scored 13 points in 44 minutes, Toronto’s second leading scorer after DeMar DeRozan. Lowry shot 5-for-9 from the floor, including 1-for-4 from beyond the arc and 2-for-4 from the free throw line. He added four rebounds, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot. The Raptors were a team-high +7 when Lowry was on the floor.

“We talked about it in the locker-room, we both were completely calm. We knew they were going to make a run, we knew the situation. You've gotta stay calm. And for us, we wouldn't be here, we wouldn't do the things we do, without our teammates, simple as that. We are one team, one through 15. We've got a couple of guys in the D League right now, they won a championship - congratulations to those guys. But for us, it's one through 15, we're all the same. We on the same team, same page, we're all in the same locker-room. We're all equal. Without them, we wouldn't be who we are.”- Kyle Lowry when asked about he and DeMar DeRozan trusting their teammates

46...Percent shooting for Toronto, 42 percent shooting for Milwaukee.

43...Rebounds for the Raptors, 38 rebounds for the Bucks.

83...Percent shooting from the free throw line for the Raptors who went 19-for-23 at the line. The Bucks shot 64 percent from the line, making 18-of-28 free throws, but went just 9-for-18 at the line in the fourth quarter after making 9-of-10 free throws through the first three quarters.

15...Turnovers for Toronto leading to 19 points scored by the Bucks. Milwaukee turned the ball over 14 times, leading to 15 points scored by the Raptors.

“First off all, congratulations. Those guys did a heckuva job, well-coached team, hard-playing team, that team’s going to be a heckuva team to deal with in the future just because of how hard they play, their length, their defensive approach. They changed it up tonight, they stopped blitzing as much and got us into a more one-on-one game and we fell into the trap. We’ve got to do a better job of executing in the third quarter…Again, we didn’t think it was going to be easy but we made it harder than it needed to be.”- Dwane Casey summing up a hard-fought series against the Bucks

“Once it got to the last couple minutes of the game, we understood now we've got to execute on both ends. We've just got to get one stop. Rebound the ball. Go down offensively, be calm, be patient, not force anything and get a basket. Possessions where Pat scored, Cory scored, that was big for us, and that was the time of the game where we really buckled down and understood: it's winning time.”- DeMar DeRozan on the mindset in the final few minutes of a roller coaster fourth quarter

“Staying positive and knowing that we’re going to win the game. It’s a game of runs. They went on their run. We’re a good team. We’ve got players that can make plays. We’re gonna make plays. It’s a basketball game. Don’t worry about what they’re doing. Play our game, play our style and things are going to work out.”- Norman Powell on the message of a late-game huddle

“They’re a tough team. Hats off to them. They play extremely hard. J-Kidd had those guys playing great team basketball. It was a tough, tough series. We knew at any point they could make a run, which they did. They fought back. We knew they weren’t just going to roll over and let us win. They fought back and even went up. We had to keep our composure, keep confidence, and we’re able to pull it out.” - Cory Joseph summing up the series

The Raptors advance to the second round where they will play the Cleveland Cavaliers. Game 1 will be in Cleveland on Monday at 7 P.M. ET.

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2017 Playoffs: Game 6 Recap - Raptors 92, Bucks 89

DeMar DeRozan knocked down a 3-pointer to put the Raptors ahead by 23 with 2:46 remaining. After leading by 11 at the end of the first quarter, the Raptors stayed in front the rest of the way through to collect a 118-93 victory and take a 3-2 series lead.

The Raptors got off to the start they wanted on Monday. On the defensive end, they held the Bucks to 40 percent shooting, forcing Giannis Antetokounmpo into a 1-for-6 start. Offensively, the Raptors shot 50 percent in the opening quarter thanks to a balanced scoring effort as Serge Ibaka and Norman Powell each scored nine points and DeMarre Carroll added seven points. The Bucks were led offensively by six points apiece from Malcolm Brogdon and Greg Monroe. The Raptors pressured Milwaukee into five turnovers in the first quarter, scoring 10 points off their miscues, leading the Bucks 9-0 in second chance points. At the end of the first 12 minutes of the game Toronto held a 31-20 advantage.

After shooting 40 percent in the opening quarter, the Bucks found a groove offensively in the second, making 67 percent of their field goals. They were led by Giannis Antetokounmpo who, after starting the game 1-for-6 from the floor, had a perfect second quarter, making all six of his attempts and scoring 13 points. Though Toronto couldn't stop Milwaukee, the Bucks didn't really slow the Raptors, either. Toronto shot 59 percent in the second, as Kyle Lowry scored 12 of the team's 26 points on 4-for-5 shooting. Toronto stretched the lead to 19 points midway through the second quarter on a jump shot from Patrick Patterson, but Milwaukee closed the half on a 16-6 run to trim Toronto's halftime advantage to 57-48. Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 16 points in the half, while Lowry led the Raptors with 12 points and Serge Ibaka added 11 points.

A season ago, in Toronto's first-round series against the Indiana Pacers, Norman Powell came off the bench to help lead a furious second-half comeback. He says that fans still tweet him clips of the game-tying dunk he had in the fourth quarter. In Monday's Game 5, Powell started his second game of the series and he contributed a perfect third quarter to keep Toronto in front and turn a nine-point halftime lead into a 17-point advantage going into the fourth. Powell scored 12 of Toronto's 33 points in the third, on a perfect 3-for-3 from the floor, 2-for-2 from beyond the arc and 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Toronto shot 67 percent in the quarter, while holding the Bucks to 41 percent as the Raptors outscored Milwaukee 33-25 in the third.

The fourth was all Toronto as Milwaukee did not get any closer than 14 in the quarter. The Raptors offence continued to benefit from open looks and the extra pass as Toronto shot 60 percent in the quarter and the Bucks were unable to make up any ground after opening the final quarter behind the 17 points. A DeMar DeRozan 3-pointer with 2:46 remaining put Toronto ahead by 23 and led to both teams pulling their starters and putting in their reserves. After weathering multiple 9-0 runs by the Bucks in the first half, Toronto was solid on both ends of the floor in the second as it took a 3-2 game series lead in dramatic fashion on the ACC floor.

Norman Powell was brilliant in Game 5 for Toronto. Starting his second consecutive game of the series, Powell went off for a team-high 25 points in 35 minutes. He shot 8-for-11 from the floor, 4-for-4 from beyond the arc and 5-for-5 from the free throw line while adding four rebounds, four assists, three steals and a blocked shot. The Raptors were a +23 when Powell was on the floor.

DeMarre Carroll got off to a strong start, helping Toronto build its 11-point lead at the end of the first quarter. Carroll finished with 12 points in 22 minutes, adding six rebounds, and two steals. Serge Ibaka had another huge effort early, firing up his team and the arena  as he added 19 points in 25 minutes. Ibaka shot 8-for-10 from the floor while adding six rebounds, three assists, a steal and three empathic blocked shots.

"We've got to treat it like Game 7, period. Nothing else to it. Treat it like a Game 7. We can't be happy with these last two games, we've just got to treat this next game like it's Game 7."- DeMar DeRozan on the mindset heading into Game 6 in Milwaukee on Thursday

58...Percent shooting for Toronto, 50 percent shooting for Milwaukee.

40...Rebounds for the Raptors, 22 for the Bucks. Toronto also held Milwaukee to just two offensive rebounds.

28...Assists for Toronto. Kyle Lowry led the way with a team-high 10 assists to go with 16 points, three rebounds and three steals. When Lowry was on the floor, the Raptors were a +29 in the game.

18...Points, three rebounds, six assists and a steal for DeMar DeRozan in 34 minutes on 50 percent shooting.

15...Turnovers for the Bucks leading to 28 points scored by the Raptors. Toronto turned the ball over 18 times, leading to 22 points scored by Milwaukee.

"I've always said that we play better with our backs against the wall. It's a tough way to live, but I love our team's resilient personality. I wish we wouldn't have to have a stinker before we played that way, but if we can consistently get everybody at their potential level I think we'll be in good shape. But, tonight, DeMar [DeRozan] had a huge bounce back night. I thought [Norman Powell] stepped in and carried his load. P.J. [Tucker] did an excellent job on [Giannis] Antetokounmpo."- Dwane Casey on a hard-fought victory

"That's what he's about. That's what he does. He goes out and sacrifices himself for the team to get the win. He's done what he has to do for us to get the win. That's Kyle Lowry." - P.J. Tucker on Kyle Lowry's effort playing through a sore back

"I'm alright. This is the playoffs. The opportunity to play, enjoy my teammates and a great game, be out there with my guys. There's nothing like that. For me, I'm going to take the bumps and bruises to be able to go on the floor and be with our guys, especially with the way Norm played tonight, it made it way more worth it."- Kyle Lowry on how his back felt after the game

"For me it's all about just preparing myself. Setting expectations, setting a goal for me and not stopping until I reach it. Giving myself up for the team and trying every day to get better whether it's coming off the bench, cheering for Kyle and DeMar, the guys on the floor, going in there making hustle plays, focusing on the defence, pushing the ball in transition, it's all about giving myself up for the team and just personally for myself trying to accomplish the things that I have set out for myself within the aspect of the team." - Norman Powell when asked about his journey and how his game as grown

"He's a spark plug. He's an x-factor. So many times  people are worried about DeMar and Kyle and rightfully so, that the next spark plug, that next guy, that next instigator is the guy. In this series he's been the x-factor. The next series, the next game, it may be a different story. He's done an excellent job of playing off those two and taking what the game is giving him, whether it's a 3-point shot or attack to the basket." - Dwane Casey on Norman Powell's impact in the series

The series returns to Milwaukee for Game 6 on Thursday, time TBA.

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2017 Playoffs: Game 5 Recap - Raptors 118, Bucks 93

DeMar DeRozan hit a pair of free throws to put Toronto ahead by 11 with 46.1 seconds remaining. The free throws capped a 33-point effort from DeRozan and clinched an 87-76 Game 4 victory for the Raptors to tie the series at 2-2.

Dwane Casey switched up the starting lineup in Game 4, replacing Jonas Valanciunas with Norman Powell. It was Powell’s first start of the postseason as he joined DeMarre Carroll, Serge Ibaka, DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry in the starting five.

After Game 3’s lopsided first quarter and 27-point deficit at the half, the Raptors were determined to get off to a different start on Saturday. Thanks to a strong defensive effort to open the game, the Bucks shot just 35 percent in the first quarter while Toronto shot 40 percent. The two teams were tied at 19 after the opening 12 minutes as DeMar DeRozan was aggressive early, leading the Raptors in the first quarter with six points on 3-for-4 field goals after being held scoreless from the floor in that Game 3 loss. Khris Middleton led the Bucks with seven points.

Toronto’s field goal percentage dropped in the second quarter, as Raptors players not named DeMar DeRozan shot just 2-for-12 and the team shot 32 percent. Luckily for Toronto, DeRozan continued to roll, leading the Raptors with a 15-point quarter, shooting 5-for-10 from the floor while Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 10 points on 5-for-6 shooting to lead the Bucks in a quarter where Milwaukee made 10-of-19 field goals. Both teams struggled from beyond the arc, but Toronto made up the difference at the free throw line where they were 8-for-9 on free throws compared to the Bucks who made their two free throw attempts in the quarter. The second quarter was a back-and-forth contest with three lead changes and seven ties and the Bucks led by seven after a thrilling dunk from Antetokounmpo midway though the quarter. With the Bucks ahead by seven, Toronto closed the half on a 15-8 run to tie things up at 41 at the break.

After a quiet first half, Kyle Lowry came out in the third ready to put numbers on the board. Lowry scored eight points in the quarter, making all three of his field goals as the Raptors outscored Milwaukee 23-17, holding the Bucks to just 30 percent shooting (6-for-20 field goals). After making just one 3-pointer in the first half, Toronto connected on three in the third while also outscoring Milwaukee 10-2 on points in the paint. The Bucks were led by Tony Snell’s eight points as Giannis Antetokounmpo was held scoreless from the floor in the quarter, his lone point coming at the free throw line. DeMar DeRozan added another six points as he led all scorers through three quarters with 27 points. Toronto went into the fourth ahead by six, leading 64-58.

Toronto continued to control the pace in the fourth, working on defence to limit the Bucks to just 18 points on 32 percent shooting. The Raptors shot 47 percent in the fourth as Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and Jonas Valanciunas each scored six points, Valanciunas coming off the bench to make all three of his field goal attempts. P.J. Tucker and Norman Powell each played the entire fourth, with Powell drilling a 3-pointer with four minutes remaining to give Toronto its first double-digit lead. With the Bucks struggling offensively, the Raptors helped force Milwaukee into seven turnovers in the fourth, scoring eight points off their miscues as they used a balanced scoring quarter and strong defensive effort to pull away with the win and tie the series at two games apiece.

DeMar DeRozan led all scorers with 33 points in 40 minutes. One game after being held scoreless from the floor on 0-for-8 shooting, DeRozan erupted for 33 points on 12-for-22 field goals, including 9-for-9 free throws. It wasn’t just the scoring, though. DeRozan led the team with a team-high nine rebounds as well as a team-high five assists to go with four steals as he played an all-around game and helped find his teammates for open looks. The Raptors were a + 15 with DeRozan on the floor.

Norman Powell received his first start of the postseason with the team trailing 2-1 in the series and he came up big on both ends of the floor. Powell scored 12 points in 34 minutes on 3-for-7 field goals, including a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, and 3-for-4 from the free throw line. Powell added four rebounds, four assists and a blocked shot, his impact seeming to increase as the game clock ticked down.

“We came out extremely aggressive on both ends out the gate. We had to. Last game was eating away at us and we were just trying to get out there and redeem ourselves.”- DeMar DeRozan on the difference between Game 3 and Game 4

41...Percent shooting for Toronto, 37 percent for Milwaukee.

21...Turnovers for the Bucks, 13 for the Raptors.

20...The Raptors held the Bucks below 20 points in three of four quarters.

12...Points on 5-for-5 field goals to go with five rebounds and a steal for Jonas Valanciunas in 22 minutes off the bench.

“I’ve always said that we play better with our backs against the wall. It’s a tough way to live, but I love our team’s resilient personality. I wish we wouldn’t have to have a stinker before we played that way, but if we can consistently get everybody at their potential level I think we’ll be in good shape. But, tonight, DeMar [DeRozan] had a huge bounce back night. I thought [Norman Powell] stepped in and carried his load. P.J. [Tucker] did an excellent job on [Giannis] Antetokounmpo.”- Dwane Casey on a hard-fought victory

“I think our patience became a lot better over the years, of understanding, collecting our thoughts. The time will come where we get back out there on that court, but try not to go crazy in two days of waiting. Just being patient, being mature with the process and trying to keep him [Kyle Lowry] calm. It’s still a challenge, but we figured it out.”- DeMar DeRozan on previous playoff experience helping the team to rebound from a poor Game 3 effort

“My guy [DeMar DeRozan] is always going to keep me calm. He’s been an unbelievable friend since we’ve been together. I always think about what should of happened, could of happened. It sometimes gets to me. I don’t sleep well. He’s always the guy that says, ‘Look, everything happens for a reason.’ We’ve understood that.”- Kyle Lowry on DeMar DeRozan

“It’s about making an impact. Bringing energy, bringing something that we need. Going over the film of last game, seeing where we struggled a little bit. They’re throwing me in to provide something with defensive toughness, energy and pace. It was a big game for me to come out and show them they can throw me in there whenever, and whatever happens in Game 5, I’ll be ready for it whether it’s coming off the bench or starting.”- Norman Powell on being moved into the starting lineup

The series will return to Toronto for Game 5 at the Air Canada Centre on Monday at 7 P.M. ET.

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2017 Playoffs: Game 4 Recap - Raptors 87, Bucks 76

the Bucks opened the fourth quarter with a 32-point lead. Milwaukee led by 20 points after the opening quarter and they didn’t look back from there, picking up a 104-77 victory to take a 2-1 series lead. Game 4 will tip off in Milwaukee on Saturday at 3 P.M. ET.

The Raptors couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start on Thursday. While they struggled to score, making just 4-of-18 field goals to shoot 22 percent, they also failed to provide any type of resistance for the Bucks who made 14-of-21 field goals to shoot 67 percent. Toronto was scoreless on six attempts from beyond the arc while Milwaukee connected on 4-of-7 3-point field goals to hold a dominant 20-point lead at the end of the opening 12 minutes. Khris Middleton scored 11 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 10 as the two combined to score 21 points on 9-of-11 field goals to lead the Bucks to a 32-12 advantage.

The offence continued to stall in the second as the Raptors shot just 3-for-12 in the quarter, making 25 percent of their field goals. Toronto simply couldn’t get any kind of offensive flow while the Bucks continued to score with relative ease. Greg Monroe came off the bench to score 12 points for the Bucks while the Raptors were led by DeMar DeRozan’s eight points, all from the free throw line. Milwaukee outscored Toronto 25-18 in the quarter. Toronto had just seven field goals and four assists in the first half as the Bucks took a 57-30 advantage at the break.

The third was a repeat of the first half as Toronto recorded just two assists on six made field goals, failing to reach 20 points for the third consecutive quarter. The Bucks stretched their lead to 34 points with less than a minute remaining in the third before heading into the final quarter up by 32 points. With Delon Wright and Norman Powell playing the entire fourth, Toronto had its best scoring quarter of the game, putting up 31 points, but it was much too late to spark a comeback. The fourth was the only quarter that Toronto outscored Milwaukee, but the Bucks were solid from start to finish, refusing to allow the Raptors a window to get back into the game.

Delon Wright came off the bench to score 13 points in 27 minutes. He shot 4-for-6 from the floor, including 2-for-3 from beyond the arc and 3-for-5 from the free throw line. He added six rebounds and two assists.

Norman Powell came into the game late in the second half to score 12 points in 15 minutes. He shot 4-for-8 from the floor and 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Powell added three rebounds, an assist and a blocked shot as he did his best to provide energy off the bench.

“Use it as motivation. Use everything that happened tonight, that's going to come with the next 24 hours, use it as motivation. And as competitors, be back ready for Saturday.”- DeMar DeRozan on what to take from the loss and how to move forward to Game 4

34...Percent shooting for the Raptors, 53 percent shooting for the Bucks.

29...Assists for Milwaukee on 39 made field goals compared to just 11 assists on 24 made field goals for Toronto.

12...made 3-pointers for the Bucks (12-for-23, 52 percent), compared to just six for Toronto (6-for-22, 27 percent). The Raptors had 14 made 3-pointers in Game 2.

19...Points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals, two blocked shots for Giannis Antetokounmpo who shot 7-for-10 from the floor.

“The key that we have to do is we have to make sure we pass the basketball. I don’t even know how many assists we had tonight, we go from 24 to whatever we had tonight and that’s where it starts. It’s moving the basketball, the basketball will find the right person and that’s what we’ve got to do. That’s what myself and our staff have to sell the guys on: You have to move the basketball. You’re not going to dribble around them, you’re not going to out-run them or out-quick them but the ball can beat speed and quickness. That’s what we did in Game 2 and that’s what we have to get back to.”- Dwane Casey on what needs to happen in Game 4

“We’ve got to come out and be aggressive. This is what we’re made for. This is playoff basketball. When you’ve got your backs against the wall you’ve got to come out and you’ve got to respond. I feel like we’re going to do it. I’ve got confidence in this group. I’ve got confidence in the coaching staff that they’re going to give us a game plan and we’re going to go out and execute. No one is down in here. We’re going to keep our spirits high. We understand we came out here to get two games, but we didn’t get two, so let’s try and get one.”- DeMarre Carroll on what needs to happen in Game 4

“Play harder, period. Who ever plays the hardest is going to win. If we don’t go out and hit them and be aggressive and go at them, then they’re just going to go at us, period.”- P.J. Tucker on what the team could have done differently in the loss

“I still think we can win the series. It ain't over. It just sucks right now, it's a terrible night right now, it's a terrible feeling the way we just got our *** beat. Terrible feeling. So we'd better pick it up. If not, it's going to be a terrible feeling again. But our confidence has not changed. We'll be fine. We've got to come out there and do what we gotta do Saturday.”- Kyle Lowry on remaining confident and looking forward to Game 4