LeBron James, Cavaliers Earn Critical Game 2 Win vs. DeMar DeRozan, Raptors
The Toronto Raptors can officially press the panic button.
Facing a must-win situation following a 113-112 overtime loss in Game 1, the Raptors fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers, 128-110, at Air Canada Centre on Thursday night as LeBron James and Kevin Love picked them apart to take a commanding 2-0 series lead.
James finished with 43 points, 14 assists and eight rebounds, and he put on a show in the second half as he sent the Raptors into a tailspin.
After the Cavs entered the break down two, James made it his mission to put the Raptors in a blender and scored or assisted on 30 of Cleveland's 37 points in the period.
By quarter's end, the Cavaliers led by 11 and had seized complete control.
And he didn't stop there.
LeBron added 12 more points in the final frame before calling it a night, at which point it became clear Toronto was cooked:
In fact, James was so hot that ESPN play-by-play announcer Mark Jones dubbed the city housing the Raptors LeBronto:
According to Elias Sports Bureau, James now owns the postseason record with 16 games of at least 30 points and 10 assists:
The Cavaliers also received a huge effort from Love, who awoke from his postseason slumber to finish with 31 points and 11 rebounds after failing to crack 20 points in his first eight 2018 playoff outings.
Love, looking like the double-double machine of old, joined James as a catalyst during Cleveland's 37-point third quarter as he poured in nine while repeatedly working CJ Miles in the post:
With James and Love, the Raptors had their hands full.
Factor in Jeff Green's 4-of-6 shooting display from three, and it was hard for Toronto to keep pace considering Kyle Lowry (21 points) and DeMar DeRozan (24 points) combined to make three shots from beyond the arc.
If the Raptors want to avoid being bounced from the playoffs by the Cavaliers for a third straight season, they'll have to come alive in a big way when the series shifts back to Cleveland for Game 3 on Saturday night.
