Alright, full disclosure: Someone missed the Gameday assignment, which happens and is totally understandable, so I’ve thrown this together pretty quickly so we have something up. The Toronto Raptors are visiting the Cleveland Cavaliers in what should be a pretty good test for them.
Should this preview not be enough for you, we also previewed Raptors-Cavs on Oct. 13 and on Oct. 28, and I previewed this back-to-back from hell this morning.
One key for the Raptors will be figuring out how to come out a little better in the third quarter, once again an issue for them.
While the @Timberwolves have a 3-6 record and have underperformed…quarter by quarter net rating says they are a sleeping giant. pic.twitter.com/0YTmaiUWHr
— Jim Petersen (@JimPeteHoops) November 15, 2016
The game tips off at 7 p.m. on TSN 1/4 and Sportsnet 590.
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Normally, with more notice, this is where we would have reached out to our friend ustin Rowan of Fear the Sword. Unfortunately, given we’re picking this up late, and that Justin is in New York for a vacation with his lovely fiancee (like a LOSER), we’re just going to have to simulate the discussion.
Blake Murphy: The Cavs have gotten out to an 8-1 start, making it look as if they’ve just stayed in gear after their championship run. LeBron James teams tend to ease into things, knowing they don’t have to put their foot to the gas until much later in the year, but here the Cavs stand, nearly flawless, a deadly offense and a quality defense. Is this the 82-game Cavs now, or can we expect them to wander into a mid-season malaise at some point?
Hypothetical Justin Rowan: Well the thing about having one loss is that the Warriors had one loss through four games of the 2016 NBA Finals, after winning 73 regular season games, and they had the unanimous MVP. What I mean is, there’s still a lot of story to be written, and the Cavs will probably lose at least three more times before June.
Blake Murphy: J.R. Smith is questionable for this game due to an ankle injury. If he can’t go, do the Cavs use Iman Shumpert on DeMar DeRozan out of the gate, or does James take up that responsibility from the opening buzzer to try to cool DeRozan off?
Hypothetical Justin Rowan: /throws beads at the computer screen. GO BOMBERS!
Blake Murphy: Umm, alright. The one key difference other than Smith and Shumpert from the last meeting is that The Melted Faced God will suit up for this one. Normally, Channing Frye and Kevin Love give the Raptors’ bigs trouble, but with how Pascal Siakam looked in the teams’ first meeting and how Lucas Nogueira has played the last week, do you think Frye remains as big a game-planning threat for the Raptors? Also, 10.3 field-goal attempts in 18.3 minutes, is 7-foot Nick Cannon serious?
Hypothetical Justin Rowan: /fixes hair in glare of the monitor. I have a pet chinchilla, you know?
And that brings us to our key matchup: Raptors fans vs. Cavaliers fans. I’m curious to see if the notoriously well-travelled Raptors fans get up for the five hour drive for a regular season game that just took place in Toronto three weeks ago. Still, you have to like the Raptors’ chances.
You, vs. the blogger she told you not to worry about:
In seriousness, here’s Justin’s preview over at FTS for their perspective.
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Raptors updates
There’s nothing to report on the Raptors’ injury front, but the status of DeMarre Carroll is at least somewhat unclear. Carroll sat the second night of a back-to-back over the weekend and head coach Dwane Casey said the medical staff has a plan for him, though he wasn’t sharing it. Now, whether that means Carroll will sit one leg of every back-to-back or just select ones – the Raptors have back-to-back back-to-backs here, it’s worth recognizing – or if it’s a situation that will be monitored week by week is something only they know. We can only work under the assumption Carroll is good to go until told otherwise. So, I’d guess he plays here and draws the primary assignment on James, one he’ll share with Patrick Patterson and maybe Siakam.
On other rotation notes, I’d expect Lucas Nogueira to remain ahead of Jakob Poeltl, obviously, and the Cavs are yet another matchup in which it’s possible Casey sticks with the Brazilian over Jonas Valanciunas for additional defensive versatility. The onus is on Valanciunas to make Tristan Thompson and company pay on the glass, especially when the Cavs go small – if he can do that and swing the battle in the paint to Toronto’s favor, the Raptors could just as well stick with their advantage rather than trying to neutralize one for the Cavs. That’s a bit of personal preference and an element of the chess match Casey will probable be flexible on based on game-flow.
Bruno Caboclo, by the way, is with the parent club at last update. He’ll probably be sent back down for Raptors 905 practice Wednesday, recalled, and then assigned once again as the Raptors hit the road.
PG: Kyle Lowry, Cory Joseph, Fred VanVleet
SG: DeMar DeRozan, Norman Powell
SF: (DeMarre Carroll), Terrence Ross
PF: Patrick Patterson, Pascal Siakam, Bruno Caboclo
C: Jonas Valanciunas, Lucas Nogueira, Jakob Poeltl
TBD: DeMarre Carroll
OUT: Delon Wright, Jared Sullinger
Cavaliers updates
The lone question mark for the Cavs is J.R. Smith, who is questionable due to an ankle he twisted Friday. Smith sat out Sunday’s game and his status might not be updated until closer to game time, as the Cavs’ shootaround focused primarily on James losing respect for Phil Jackson (and good on him – FOH with that coded language BS).
Elsewhere, the big question facing Ty Lue is who to throw on DeRozan. Smith drew the assignment to start last time out and Shumpert got looks, but if DeRozan stays as hot as he has, you have to figure James takes that challenge on to try to cool him off. The Cavs may opt to give DeRozan the James treatment, too, selling out to force the ball out of his hands and trusting the rest of their defense to scramble around and contest against shooters (not a bad idea given how poorly the Raptors are shooting from long-range on the year). DeRozan forcing James into extra work could have a benefit at the other end, even if it makes life a little tougher for the Toronto offense.
PG: Kyrie Irving, Kay Felder
SG: (J.R. Smith), Iman Shumpert, Jordan McRae, DeAndre Liggins
SF: LeBron James, Richard Jefferson, Mike Dunleavy Jr.
PF: Kevin Love, James Jones
C: Tristan Thompson, Channing Frye, Chris Andersen
TBD: J.R. Smith
The line
The Cavaliers are 5.5-point favorites, and the line has mostly bounced between 5.5 and 6.5. That suggest the Cavs have about two points on the Raptors on neutral turf, which feels pretty fair. The over-under is a bit surprising, bouncing around 208-210. The Raptors like to slow things down, the Cavs play only an average pace, and both teams are above-average defenses so far. That seems like a bet on a pair of top-five offenses winning out.
