Just a few hours after being named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for games played in February, LeBron James lifted the Cavaliers to a 120-112 victory at Toronto Raptors on Thursday morning.
After trouncing Boston on Wednesday morning, the triumph against Toronto – one of the top teams in the East – is a major statement of the Cavaliers’ intentions this season.
As a result of the win, the James-led Cavaliers’s chances for the second spot in the East became more realistic than ever before.
Cleveland (39-24) currently trail Chicago by one game for second-place in the East with 19 regular-season games remaining, while the Raptors dropped to third-place.
On the other hand, the Raptors (38-23) showed tremendous character, which could become a precious asset for the rest of the season.
Toronto may not be playing at the intensity and consistency levels they did before the All-Star break, but Dwane Casey’s side seems to be set for an historic season.
On Thursday morning, the Canadian franchise bounced back from a 19-point deficit in the third quarter to lead by two early in the final quarter.
The team’s leading scorer Kyle Lowry was rested for the third straight game, according to the club.
And the Raptors relied on Lithuanian Jonas Valanciunas for most of their offense, he finished with a team-high 26 points and 11 rebounds, while DeMar DeRozan, who didn’t score in the fourth quarter, added 25 points.
Valanciunas played at a high-level under the basket, and there was no way the Cavaliers would win the match-up in the painted area.
The only way to beat Toronto and close the regular-season series (3-1), came from beyond the arc, where the Cleveland’s three-point efficiency worked at its best.
Kevin Love and James Jones had four three-pointers each, LeBron added three three-pointers en route to a game-high 29 points.
The Cavaliers’ pedigree will be put to the test on Saturday morning when they visit the East leaders the Atlanta Hawks.
