 | Cleveland | 104 | Final Box Score | 116 | Toronto |  |
 A | P. Siakam20 MIN, 13 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 6-8 FG, 1-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 11 +/- Got the start ahead of Anunoby and Ibaka at the power forward position and while Love seemed to get the better of him early, really settled into a groove as the game wore on and you can see how well his movement and athleticism slots beside Valanciunas. | ||||||||
 A+ | K. Leonard37 MIN, 24 PTS, 12 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 9-22 FG, 1-3 3FG, 5-6 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, 13 +/- Rusty to start. The team tried to get him going early by running sets for him both on the perimeter and in the post but it just wasn’t falling for him. Got better as the game wore on but the lift isn’t quite there right now. He’s too smart, too strong, too good to not have it all come together in a hurry. This was the first time he wore a Raptors jersey in a meaningful game, no way he wasn’t getting an A+. | ||||||||
 A | J. Valanciunas20 MIN, 6 PTS, 12 REB, 3 AST, 0 STL, 3-8 FG, 0-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 13 +/- For all the talk about the relationship Nurse and Valanciunas share, it was interesting to note he didn’t get very many touches early on. That’s a testament to him accepting his role and how he could be coming in and out of games depending on who the opponent has at center. | ||||||||
 A | D. Green33 MIN, 11 PTS, 5 REB, 0 AST, 2 STL, 4-9 FG, 3-7 3FG, 0-0 FT, 2 BLK, 0 TO, 15 +/- Thought he had a complete game. Low maintenance, recognized his shot opportunities, was really good on the help although he did get blown by a couple of times off the dribble. | ||||||||
 A+ | K. Lowry36 MIN, 27 PTS, 1 REB, 8 AST, 1 STL, 10-12 FG, 5-6 3FG, 2-3 FT, 1 BLK, 3 TO, 12 +/- KLOE. Was sharp from start to finish and was at the top of the list of guys trying to get Kawhi going which is a good sign early. What was more encouraging on an individual level was the number of times he beat guys off the bounce, something he didn’t do and wasn’t asked to do as much last season. | ||||||||
 B | S. Ibaka27 MIN, 9 PTS, 7 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 2-10 FG, 1-3 3FG, 4-6 FT, 3 BLK, 2 TO, -1 +/- The poor shooting will stand out to most but he missed a few easy ones including a wide open dunk. Overall, the rim protection was there, the decision making on offense was improved and the intensity was good. | ||||||||
 A | F. VanVleet25 MIN, 14 PTS, 2 REB, 5 AST, 0 STL, 6-14 FG, 1-5 3FG, 1-3 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -4 +/- Brought his usual steadiness and really turned it up a notch when Cleveland crept within 9 in the fourth quarter. The lack of familiarity across the different bench lineups showed at times but he did a good job keeping everyone involved. | ||||||||
 B+ | O. Anunoby18 MIN, 4 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 2-3 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -2 +/- While Siakam may have got the edge with the start to get more size on Love, Anunoby showed just how much of a factor his strength can be from the second he entered a game. Thought he looked really good defensively and unfortunately had to leave with a right orbital contusion. | ||||||||
 B | N. Powell12 MIN, 5 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 2-3 FG, 1-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 0 +/- Really positive first half for him: Looked to make strong cuts to the basket, confident in shooting the three and didn’t try to do too much. | ||||||||
 B | C. Miles10 MIN, 3 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 1-3 FG, 1-3 3FG, 0-2 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 4 +/- You can already see him getting the short end of the stick in the battle for wing minutes. Above the break threes and improving his defense will be critical in earning minutes. | ||||||||
 Inc | L. Brown1 MIN, 0 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -1 +/- Could have taken a shot since there was a bit of a game clock – shot clock difference but just dribbled out the clock and took the turnover. Way to be professional. | ||||||||
 A+ | Nick Nurse Like that he let Kawhi play through some of those early jitters (played the first 11 minutes) which helped him find his game late in the quarter. The decision to start Siakam worked and I liked the way he consistently counteracted Lue’s changes. Good timeout when the Cavs cut the lead to nine to get the team settled. | ||||||||
Things We Saw
- Gotta talk about the crowd, the reception for Kawhi was incredible. Cheering his first touches were a nice move too. The mission to keep him here beyond this season is officially underway.
- With just under nine minutes remaining in the second quarter, the Raptors got an offensive board but it didn’t seem like FVV recognized that the shot clock only reset to 14. Rule changes like these are the things players need to go through in game action to get accustomed to.
- Entering the season, the personnel suggests rebounding will be a concern and that was evident tonight. The Cavs were all over the glass early and Tristan Thompson was a load to deal with. The gang rebounding got better late, though.
- The ball and player movement was great. As mentioned earlier, you can see some miscommunication and lack of familiarity but the fluidity is great. That’s obviously the objective when you’re trying to transition from two lineups that are very different to having multiple lineups that keep you guessing.
