NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking points from Toronto Raptors vs Cleveland Cavaliers
Final Score: Cleveland Cavaliers 126 - Toronto Raptors 101
The Raptors are a significantly better team than the Cavaliers but had an off-night as the Cavs won by an impressive 25 points. The Cavaliers took advantage of the Raptors' bad night and got their 17th win of the season, the third worst record of the NBA.
This was an interesting game on both sides. The Raptors' largest lead was two points, while The Cavaliers' largest lead was 27. Kawhi Leonard had 25 points, but the rest of the Raptors were relatively quiet. The only other Raptors to score in double figures were Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry. Siakam had 15 points and Lowry had 14 points. The Cavaliers, on the other hand, had six players in double figures. They were led by rookie guard Collin Sexton, who finished the game with 28 points, and Cedi Osman finished with 19 points. Ante Zizic scored 17 points, while Kevin Love had a double-double with 16 points and 18 rebounds.
Here are talking points from the Cavaliers' win over the Raptors.
#3 The Cavaliers win the first game of their tough back-to-back
The Cavaliers have a total of four games this week. Out of those four games, two of them are back-to-back and three of the four games are also on the road. The Cavs are capable of winning their other two games (the Orlando Magic and the Dallas Mavericks) but their next game is a challenge, against the Philadelphia 76ers in Philadelphia is a challenge.
While the win over the Raptors was impressive, the Sixers are one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference and are tied with the Indiana Pacers for the third seed of the East.
The win over the Pacers was Joel Embiid's first game back for Philly. He has been out since after the All-Star break but returned and led the Sixers to victory as he finished the game with 33 points and 12 rebounds. With Embiid back in the lineup, the Sixers will be hard to beat.