 | Amir Johnson, PF 25 MIN | 5-10 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 10 PTS | -2 He’s struggling huge and it might be prudent to give him a game or two off to rest. He gutted his way through 24 minutes, but he’s not himself. One play that stands out is when he was fouled while attempting a layup but the referee ruled it a non-shooting foul because his feet didn’t leave the ground. |  |
 | Terrence Ross, SF 28 MIN | 8-13 FG | 1-1 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 5 TO | 18 PTS | -1 Terrence Ross rebounded from a rough night against Denver to score 18 points while going 8-13 from the field. He made some bad mental mistakes in the fourth quarter, though and those turnovers proved costly. He had a big steal and dunk in the final seconds of the game which gave Toronto a last gasp chance to steal a win. |  |
 | Jonas Valanciunas, C 37 MIN | 6-7 FG | 6-6 FT | 15 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 18 PTS | -5 This is the second consecutive game he had a double-double (18 points and 15 rebounds). He was gassed by the end of the first quarter and he looked winded in the fourth quarter. It’s clear he struggled to play 36 minutes, yet he still kept battling. |  |
 | Kyle Lowry, PG 40 MIN | 6-18 FG | 2-2 FT | 4 REB | 14 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 16 PTS | +1 Anyone else thinks Lowry takes great pride in showing up Kyrie Irving. Lowry scorched Irving all night long and almost willed Toronto to the win. Lowry played 41 minutes last night and showed no signs of fatigue as he scored 16 points and dropped a season-high 14 dimes. |  |
 | Landry Fields, SG 23 MIN | 2-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 2 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 4 PTS | +4 You have to give Fields a ton of credit for doing an admirable job guarding LeBron James despite barely playing this season. This game was a testament to his work ethic and the work he’s done during practice and in empty gyms. | |
 | James Johnson, PF 22 MIN | 6-13 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 12 PTS | -7 Johnson played like a player who was pissed off that he was passed over for the starting nod. He scored 13 points and went 6-13 from the field. | |
 | Patrick Patterson, PF 26 MIN | 5-7 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 2 BLK | 1 TO | 12 PTS | -4 I’m convinced Patterson has ice in his veins. Last night he hit a big three and tonight he hit an elbow jumper after Cleveland had tied the game at 97. He once again had an efficient night shooting the ball (5-7) and scored 12 points. |  |
 | Chuck Hayes, C 7 MIN | 1-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 2 PTS | +1 Hayes came into the game and banged for nearly eight minutes. His stat line doesn’t show anything, but he gave Amir Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas some much-needed time to gather their breath. | |
 | Greivis Vasquez, PG 13 MIN | 1-3 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 3 PTS | -8 It seems as though Vasquez isn’t able to contribute when his shot isn’t falling. Tonight he went 1-3 from the field and looked invisible for most of the game. Remember when he was third in the NBA in assists during the 2012-13 season? Vasquez needs to find some of that creativity for nights like this when his shot isn’t there. |  |
 | Louis Williams, SG 20 MIN | 2-8 FG | 1-1 FT | 1 REB | 4 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 6 PTS | +1 One of the few off nights for Williams. He went 2-8 from the field and only scored six points. | |
 | Dwane Casey I wasn’t a fan of starting Landry Fields over James Johnson, but it’s a move that worked out well for the team. It also worked to inspire Johnson who had a big game. I also liked that Ross wasn’t forced to guard LeBron James. But, once again, some questionable substitution patterns cost Toronto the chance to steal a road win. | |
Five Things We Saw
- I get that Dwane Casey wanted to send a message to his team about their effort on the defensive end, but why not add James Johnson to the starting five?
- Jonas Valanciunas had his second consecutive double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds. It was also a season-high for him in rebounds.
- I loved seeing the Starter logo at the bottom of the baskets. I wore their stuff throughout my teen years so it was a great blast from the past.
- Toronto held Cleveland to 26 points in the first quarter while forcing them to shoot 42.6% from the field. On the flip side, they scored 33 points and went 66.7% from the field. Toronto finished the first quarter on a 20-10 run.
- There’s no way you’ll win a game on the road only scoring 13 points in the fourth quarter. Yuck.
