Raptors tie Eastern Conference finals, leave Cavs facing real adversity
Raptors tie Eastern Conference finals, leave Cavs facing real adversity
Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan scored more than 30 points each as the Toronto Raptors withstood a ferocious Cleveland Cavaliers fightback to level their Eastern Conference final series with a 105-99 victory, leaving the best-of-seven series tied at 2-2 with three games to play. The win continues a remarkable transformation in fortunes for Toronto, which had lost the opening two games of the series. With Lowry and DeRozan in imperious form, the Raptors had surged into an 18-point lead midway through the third quarter.
Each time we made a mistake they made us pay.
The Cavs rallied behind LeBron James, who finished with 29 points, and Kyrie Irving to haul themselves back into the contest. With just over five minutes of the fourth quarter remaining, the Cavs had wiped out the deficit and had taken a 92-89 lead. But just when it looked as if the Cavs might score a vital road victory — and open up a 3-1 series lead — the Raptors rallied again, going on an 11-3 scoring run in the closing minutes to claim the win.