Holly MacKenzie - Raptors.com
IT WAS OVER WHEN
Kyle Lowry scored on a driving layup to put Toronto ahead by six with 22 seconds remaining. Cleveland wouldn’t score again as the Raptors held on for the 105-99 victory to tie the series up at two games apiece.
ANOTHER STRONG FIRST HALF
For the second straight game, the Raptors started the game off right. After shooting 52 percent in the first quarter, Toronto led by three. Kyle Lowry exploded for 15 points in the second quarter, nearly matching Cleveland’s scoring total, as Toronto outscored Cleveland 30-17 and led by as many as 18 points, before going into the half with a 16-point advantage.
WEATHERING THE THIRD
Cleveland made a push in the third thanks to a 12-point effort from Kyrie Irving to trim an 18-point deficit to nine going into the fourth. The Cavs shot 54 percent in the quarter as Toronto’s offence stalled. The Raptors made just 39 percent of their field goals in the third, and they were outscored 28-21 in the quarter.
GRINDING OUT IN THE FOURTH
The Cavaliers came out firing in the fourth and didn’t miss a field goal until there was 4:12 remaining. After a layup from Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye connecting on back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers to open the quarter, the Cavaliers took a one-point lead with 10:16 remaining. The two teams traded leads until DeMar DeRozan sank a pair of free throws to put Toronto ahead by two with 3:59 remaining, and then Frye finally missed a shot as DeMarre Carroll went to the line and made a pair of free throws to put Toronto ahead by four. Cleveland wouldn’t get any closer than two points the rest of the way as Toronto stayed calm under pressure, stepping up its defence and executing offensively.
RAPTORS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan were both sensational on Monday, combining for 67 points, shooting a combined 28-for-43 from the floor. The duo added eight rebounds, eight assists, and four steals, with Lowry playing a team-high 44 minutes and DeRozan tallying 40 minutes in the win. Lowry had the 15-point second quarter to help Toronto build its lead, DeRozan had a 10-point third quarter to keep the Raptors in front, and the duo combined for 21 of Toronto’s 27 fourth quarter points.
UNDERRATED RAPTORS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Bismack Biyombo followed up his franchise-record setting 26 rebound performance in Game 3 with 14 rebounds, five points, an assist and three blocked shots. Biyombo played 42 minutes, topped only by Kyle Lowry, as he continues to step up in the absence of Jonas Valanciunas.
THAT'S A RAP…
“You know, honestly, we’ve been playing with our backs against the wall. We never cared what anybody else thought. It was a challenge for us every single day. We’ve been counted out, and we like that challenge.”- DeMar DeRozan on not being concerned with outside opinions
BY THE #’S
54…Percent shooting for Toronto, 47 percent for Cleveland.
29…Points, nine rebounds, six assists, two steals and a blocked shot for LeBron James. Kyrie Irving bounced back from a rough Game 3 to score 26 points on 11-for-21 field goals.
19…Free throws attempts for Toronto with zero coming in the first half. The Raptors shot 14-for-19 from the line. In comparison, Cleveland shot 8-for-9 on free throws.
67…Percent shooting for the Raptors in the fourth quarter, 57 percent for the Cavaliers after the Cavs opened the quarter hitting their first 11 shots.
15…Years since a team has recorded a 15-plus point halftime lead in the Conference Finals without attempting a free throw in the first half. The last team to do this was the Milwaukee Bucks in 2001.
THEY SAID IT…
“My background has kind of made me the man I am today, but coming into this situation where we’re down 0-2, they did what they were supposed to do on their home floor, and we had an opportunity to do what we had to do on our home floor. Just understanding the situation and taking advantage of being at home and completing the task. So now we’ve got to go on the road and try to get one.”- Kyle Lowry on playing with a chip on his shoulder
“I thought the beginning of the fourth quarter, that group that went in there, we lost our composure. That group lost their composure. When we put the starters back in, they kind of reigned their foothold, and got back under control and that was huge for us. I’ve always said, compete with poise. Stay consistent with your emotions. Don’t get too high or too low. I think that’s paying dividends for us now as wee go through this tough series with a great Cleveland team, with one of the best players on the planet, and we’ve got to continue to have that composure and compete every possession with poise.”- Dwane Casey on the importance of playing with poise under pressure
“It’s been great. One thing about us, we can take the bad with the good any day. It’s life, man. You can’t get too down when things are not going your way, but you understand the work that you put in all summer, all throughout the season, for moments like this. You’ve got to be ready. I always told [Lowry] when we were struggling, it’s not about now. As long as we’ve got an opportunity to keep playing, we’ve got an opportunity to make up for this. And I think that’s where we’re at. Everything happens for a reason.”- DeMar DeRozan on what he’s learned through an up and down postseason
UP NEXT:
The series returns to Cleveland for Game 5 on Wednesday at 8:30 P.M. ET.