The last time the Toronto Raptors were in Cleveland, they dropped Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals in historic fashion, rendering a short-notice Greyhound trip for your boy quite moot (other than the experience, that is). Actually, I guess technically the last time the Raptors were there was a little over a month ago for a preseason game. Let’s go with that, instead. That’s a less painful memory.
Well, they’re back to take on the Cavaliers for the second time this season, leg one of a ridiculous two-game set this week. You can check the full game preview here. We also previewed Raptors-Cavs on Oct. 13 and on Oct. 28, and I previewed this back-to-back from hell this morning.
The game tips off at 7 p.m. on TSN 1/4 and Sportsnet 590.
Raptors updates
The team won’t update the status of DeMarre Carroll until closer to tip off. You’re as shocked as I am, I’m sure. The team is still ruminating on whether to play Carroll here against the Cavs or Wednesday (Drake Night!) against the Warriors, it seems.
DeMarre Carroll remains a game time decision. Raps will sit him tonight or tomorrow.
— Chris O'Leary (@olearychris) November 15, 2016
Carroll didn’t participate in shootaround, which created a bit of a commotion on Twitter earlier, but it’s all a part of the plan – the medical staff has a schedule mapped out for Carroll that includes some shootarounds off (others will occasionally skip a shootaround, too, as part of the holistic 82-game, not-only-minutes-matter approach to player health), and it includes some back-to-backs off. That doesn’t make it easy to predict when Carroll may or may not play – will he sit one game of all 17 back-to-backs? is it just select games like when the Raptors have a pair of back-to-backs in a row, like right now? is it opponent or home/road dependent? – we don’t know these things, but as much as I roll my eyes at that sometimes, we shouldn’t know. Why would the Raptors give away information when they don’t have to? Not everyone has the cocksure Spursian approach to call their plan out days in advance, and if the Raptors value the little bit of edge of keeping an opponent guessing (to whatever degree that changes preparation), that’s their right.
“We’ll see how the season goes,” head coach Dwane Casey said at shootaround, per The Woz. “It’s more precautionary more than anything else. He’s not hurt, but the medical people say we just have to be smart about how we use him early in the season, that we have some juice left in January, February.”
Sometimes I lose sight of that because my job would be a lot easier if I just knew ahead of time. If I’m honest with myself, were I a president/GM/coach/player, there’s no way I’d let that information out until the last possible second I had to.
So we don’t know what to expect for sure, but I’d guess Carroll plays, continues seeing the 20-25 minutes he seems to have settled in to, spends all of that time on LeBron James with the Raptors doubling and zoning up around that match-up to help out. Patrick Patterson and Pascal Siakam should see time on him, too, especially when the Cavs slide James to the four.
UPDATE: Carroll is active but not expected to play. That means Norman Powell starts and probably draws James first, DeMar DeRozan is tasked with at least some time on him, and things overall get more difficult on the defensive end. It also means Carroll is likely to play Wednesday, if the context cues from earlier are correct. Giving him four days off in a row makes sense enough to me over just playing him in one game because it’s the first of a back-to-back. So, yeah, no Carroll, and we’ll see at game-time tomorrow.
Patterson might also see some time at the five chasing Kevin Love and Channing Frye, but the emergence of Lucas Nogueira over the last few games may render the Raptors more comfortable with a traditional center. Or, you know, Jonas Valanciunas could play as well as we’ve seen him at times, which would swing the advantage of the small-versus-big matchup in Toronto’s favor and possibly force Cleveland to be the ones adjusting. It should be a fun chess match!
PG: Kyle Lowry, Cory Joseph, Fred VanVleet
SG: Norman Powell, Terrence Ross
SF: DeMar DeRozan, Bruno Caboclo
PF: Patrick Patterson, Pascal Siakam
C: Jonas Valanciunas, Lucas Nogueira, Jakob Poeltl
OUT: Delon Wright, Jared Sullinger, DeMarre Carroll
Cavaliers updates
J.R. Smith will sit with a sprained right ankle, the second game in a row he’s missed. Richard Jefferson drawing the start in his place is likely intended to get some more size and switch-ability to throw at DeRozan, though Iman Shumpert has occasionally done a decent job in the past (Lil’ Dun started Sunday). Expect James to see some of that matchup if (let’s be honest – when) DeRozan hears up, and it’s worth keeping in mind that it’s been bigger, longer defenders who have given him trouble in the past.
Whoever draws DeRozan is in for a tough night, and here’s hoping he goes for 30 again – if he does so, he’ll be the first player since Wilt Chamberlain to score 30-plus in nine of the first 10 games of a season. That is insane. Not even Michael Jordan, or Norman Powell’s favorite DeRozan comparison (#LilKobe), Kobe Bryant have done it. If anyone can slow him, James is high on the list when fully engaged, so this should be a heck of a battle.
PG: Kyrie Irving, Kay Felder
SG: Richard Jefferson, Iman Shumpert, Jordan McRae, DeAndre Liggins
SF: LeBron James, Mike Dunleavy Jr.
PF: Kevin Love, James Jones
C: Tristan Thompson, Channing Frye, Chris Andersen
OUT: J.R. Smith
Assorted
- Expect Bruno Caboclo and Fred VanVleet to be assigned to the 905 after the game and then recalled after tomorrow’s practice. The decisions get a bit more difficult from there, but it’s safe to assume at least Caboclo will be with the 905 for their opener on Friday.
- By the way, if you’re interested in attending the 905 opener, you can use this link and promo code REPUBLIC905 to get a few bucks off.
- Doug Christie is “not a trade Boogie Cousins guy.” I’m a trade Boogie Cousins guy. I’m a trade Boogie Cousins to the Raptors guy.
- Our boy Alex Wong has your regular Boogie-to-the-Raptors coverage over at HQ.
- Don’t read anything else there. Actually, read Hackett and Woodley. And everyone but Reynolds, now that I think of it. Shout out to HQ except Reynolds.
- Our boy Alex Wong has your regular Boogie-to-the-Raptors coverage over at HQ.
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.
