Cleveland is looking to rebound and snap their three-game losing streak just a day after losing 91-78 to the Washington Wizards on Friday night.
Toronto is also playing the second game of a back-to-back after blowing out the Milwaukee Bucks 124-83 to extend their winning streak to three games.
Projected Starting Lineups
Cleveland Cavaliers (5-6)
G Kyrie Irving – 21.9 ppg, 4.7 apg
G Shawn Marion – 5.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg
F LeBron James – 25.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 6.5 apg
F Kevin Love – 15.9 ppg, 10.2 rpg
C Anderson Varejao – 10.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg
Toronto Raptors (10-2)
G Kyle Lowry – 18.4 ppg, 5.8 apg
G DeMar DeRozan – 20.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg
F Terrence Ross – 11.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg
F Amir Johnson -9.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg
C Jonas Valanciunas - 11.4 ppg, 8.1 rpg
What to watch for:
Kevin Love's aggressiveness
Love has been the odd man out of Cleveland's offense during the last few games, and he's expressed his frustration and desire to get the ball more. Toronto's big men are not great defenders, so Love will have a mismatch that the Cavs should look to exploit in this game. However, if Cleveland fails to get him the ball early, Love's frustrations might boil over, causing him to become very passive and ineffective for the rest of the game.
Will Cleveland match Toronto's effort?
The Raptors - like the Wizards - are one of the Eastern Conference's up-and-coming franchises, and they're looking to prove themselves against the team many picked to win the conference. They're playing really well right now and will put all of their effort in this game, and Cleveland is going to have to play one of their best games of the season to win.
Prediction: Raptors win 110-98
Cleveland looked tired last night against the Wizards, and playing their second game in consecutive nights won't help. Toronto is looking to make a statement that they belong at the top of the Eastern Conference, and the Cavs haven't shown they can match that level of intensity yet.
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