As the Eastern Conference finals shift to Toronto, the Raptors hope a change of scenery will bring some better fortunes when they host the Cavaliers in Game 3 live from the Air Canada Centre on Saturday.
Cleveland looks to take a stranglehold on the series by jumping out to a 3-0 series lead after holding down its home court, while Toronto will look hand its opponent its first loss of the postseason when it returns home. The Cavaliers are now 10-0 through the playoffs.
The Cavaliers have dominated the Raptors in this series, taking Game 1, 115-84, on Tuesday, and then Game 2, 108-79, on Thursday to take a 2-0 series lead.
Kyrie Irving paced Cleveland with 27 points in its Game 2 victory, while LeBron James added 23 and led the team with 11 assists and three steals. Klay Thompson contributed 12 rebounds in the triumph.
James and company have downplayed their winning streak all postseason long and they continue to spin that narrative following another dominant victory on Thursday.
"I don't think it feels like a streak," James said after Game 2, according to NBA.com. "It feels like we won one game, we won the next game. We've taken one step at a time. We've tried to take care of business."
The Cavaliers are on a mission after winning the Eastern Conference last season only to fall to the Warriors in six games in the NBA Finals.
DeMar DeRozan carried the load for Toronto in Game 2, scoring a team-best 22 points, while Kyle Lowry added six boards. Lowry has had a rough go of it thus far, finishing with just 10 points on Thursday and shooting just 8 of 28 from the field, including 1-for-15 from 3-point range.
"I'm super confident," Lowry said via NBA.com. "I missed countless 3s that I thought were good and that I made last series. That's why I'm not down on myself. We've got a game on Saturday, and I know I'm going to be much more effective. Simple as that."
There is nothing simple about playing the Cavaliers this postseason.
Game Details & Live Stream
Matchup: Cavaliers at Raptors Eastern Conference finals Game 3
Venue: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Radio: Cleveland (WMMS 100.7); Toronto (TSN 1050)
Series: 2-0 Cavaliers.
Betting Odds: The latest betting odds can be found here.
Watch Online: This game can be live streamed for free here.
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