Cavaliers Win Game 3 vs. Raptors, Spurs Sneak by Rockets in Friday's NBA Playoff

It was a good night for road teams in the 2017 NBA playoffs, as the Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs went into hostile environments to take control of their respective opponents.       

The Cavaliers were already feeling good about their chances against the Toronto Raptors after winning the first two games of their Eastern Conference matchup in Cleveland at Quicken Loans Arena. Friday's 115-94 win in Toronto's Air Canada Centre puts the Cavs one win away from pulling off a second straight series sweep.

The Spurs have rebounded well from that Game 1 loss to the Houston Rockets with two straight wins. Friday's 103-92 victory at Toyota Center came in the absence of Tony Parker, who suffered a season-ending quad injury in Game 2. 

Matchup	Score	Series
Cleveland Cavaliers at Toronto Raptors	Cavs 115, Raptors 94	Cavs lead 3-0
Houston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs	Spurs 103, Rockets 92	Spurs lead 2-1

LeBron Continues Playoff Assault in Cavs' Win vs. Raptors

The Cavs shook off a slow start against the Toronto Raptors, who were playing at home for the first time in the second round, to take a commanding 3-0 series lead. 

LeBron James continues to be an unstoppable force in these playoffs. Friday marked the sixth time in seven postseason games he's scored at least 30 points, and his efficiency against the Raptors has been remarkable:

If you go back even further to last year's NBA Finals, James is playing out of this world to carry the Cavaliers on his shoulders:

Cleveland struggled to find its shooting touch early in the game, even trailing 52-49 at halftime, but it outscored the Raptors by 24 points in the second half to turn a tense battle into another blowout. 

The Raptors as a team are unable to hit three-point shots to save themselves. They went 2-of-18 beyond the arc in Game 3, spoiling DeMar DeRozan's return to form with 37 points—13 more than he had in the first two games combined. 

Even DeRozan ran out of gas during the fourth quarter, when Cleveland outscored the Raptors 36-17:

Coming into the playoffs, the Cavaliers seemed like an unknown quantity after going 10-13 in their last 23 games. The tide has turned for the defending NBA champions with seven straight wins, and one more will guarantee them a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals for the third consecutive season. 

Aldridge, Leonard Carry Spurs vs. Rockets

The Spurs rode on the back of LaMarcus Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard, who each scored 26 points and combined for 17 rebounds in a Game 3 victory over the Rockets in the Western Conference Semifinals. 

History has been kind to the Spurs in the era of head coach Gregg Popovich when they are able to take a 2-1 series lead, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Aldridge has been a non-factor virtually all postseason. He came into Friday averaging 13.5 points in eight playoff games this season, though all that went out the window in Game 3. 

Leonard had his second double-double in three games against the Rockets with 26 points and 10 rebounds. He's carrying a heavy burden as San Antonio's lone consistent scoring threat, so the emergence of Aldridge gives the team a huge boost moving forward in the series. 

On the other hand, Houston needs to find an answer for its shooting problems. It's averaging 94 points in the two games since dropping 126 in Game 1 in San Antonio. 

One of the big reasons for the Rockets' drop in production is a stark reduction in transition points in the past two games, via ESPN Stats & Info:

James Harden tried to carry the Houston offense with a game-high 43 points. The other four players in the Rockets' starting four combined to score 39 points, and the team went just 12-of-39 from three-point range. 

After appearing lost in Game 1, the Spurs have shifted all the pressure back on to the Rockets. San Antonio is playing the style of basketball it needs to in order to survive and advance. Houston has to turn things around quickly on its home court in Game 4 on Sunday.