As the regular season showdowns came to an end, the league's teams began their final sprints to punch tickets into the playoffs. However, the Cleveland Cavaliers, who were able to play the dark horse of the East before the All-Star Game, have lost their original positive competitiveness in recent times. However, as of now, the Cavaliers have been able to maintain a record of 41 wins and 31 losses, ranking sixth in the East, and still qualify for playoff tickets in advance. And this game, the Cavaliers' opponent is the Raptors from Toronto.
It is worth saying that the Raptors are only 1 win away from surpassing the Cavaliers. That is to say, if the Raptors win the final victory in this competition, it will kick the Cavaliers out of the top six teams in the East, so this game is crucial for both of them. At the beginning of the game, the Toronto Raptors, who played at home, took the lead and took the lead in the lead. Siakam played for 12 minutes in the first quarter, delivering 12 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist to help the team play 25-17 and take an eight-point lead.
After taking the lead at the start, the Raptors, who entered the second quarter, could follow the trend and further widen the point difference between the two teams. Anunoby sent a crucial eight-pointer on 2-of-2 shooting in the second quarter, as well as 2-of-2 free throws. At the same time, Boucher, who came off the bench, was also able to step forward, with an efficient shooting rate of 4 of 5 shots, handing over 11 points, 1 rebound and 2 steals, and helping the team play a 33-31 score to get a 2-point lead. By the end of the first half, the Raptors had a 10-point lead with a 58-48 score.
The point difference between the two teams has been widened one after another, and the Raptors clearly have a better chance of winning the game. But after Yibian fought again, the Cavaliers did not choose to compromise and also tried to counterattack. In the third quarter of the competition, Garland shot 4 of 6, sent a comprehensive 9+2+2 stats, and Lefu, who returned to the starting lineup, also sent 7 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist with 100% shooting rate, leading the team to play a 27-25 score and recovering the 2 points behind in the first half. By the time it reached the crucial final quarter showdown, the point difference between the two sides had been narrowed to 8 points.
However, in the final quarter of the tiebreaker, the Raptors did not continue to give the Cavaliers the opportunity to counterattack, but played a 34-29 score and won the game with a score of 117-104. Looking back at the game, the Cavaliers failed to continue to show the momentum of the dark horse in the East, and even though there were 6 players on the team who scored double digits, they were unable to return to the sky. Moreover, Kevin Luck, who received the top salary in the team, although he also returned to the starting position, sending 12 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists, but it was difficult to save the situation.
While the Raptors, who won at home, were on this side, Siakam became the best player in the game. In the 32 minutes of playing, he shot 6 of 7 from three points and 12 of 20 from the field, delivering a game-high score of 35 points, as well as 5 rebounds and 6 assists. That's right, with six players from both teams scoring in double figures, only Siakam was able to send an explosive stat that greatly helped the team ease the pressure on the scoring end. After winning the game, the Raptors also successfully pulled the cavaliers, who ranked sixth in the East, off the horse and achieved a comeback!