The Cleveland Cavaliers continue to gain momentum in the Eastern Conference as they are hoping to keep their second-half season run alive. That effort is being helped by the return of point guard Kyrie Irving who has been out with a shoulder injury. With the team back at full strength, they are aiming to take advantage of the weaker Eastern Conference as they meet up with the struggling Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.
Irvings' return helped the Cavaliers bounce back after a loss to the Indiana Pacers on Friday and a loss to the Houston Rockets on Sunday. It was the team's first back-to-back losses since they went on a win streak. The team is currently 1-4 when Irving is off the court and they cannot afford to lose the point guard again during the regular season. However, he came back to get the team a 110-79 route of the Boston Celtics. Irving only played 26 minutes along with LeBron James while Kevin Love only saw 25 minutes of playing time while the led by as many as 44 points at one time.
The Cavaliers recent momentum has jumped them up in the conference standings as the team aims to get tied with the Toronto Raptors for second place in the conference. The Atlanta Hawks sit in first while the Cavaliers gain speed on them. The team is preparing to enter a stretch where they have their next six of seven games on the road while taking on a few tough contenders.
Toronto is currently struggling to gain consistency during the second half this season. The team is fresh off a season-high five-game losing streak where they only averaged 90.4 points on just 25.4 percent shooting for 3-point range. The team was looking bad and lost traction in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. However, they managed to bounce back against the Philadelphia 76ers and put up 11 of 27 from beyond the arc while getting the 114-103 win.
DeMar DeRozan stepped up in a big way with 35 points, a season high. He was averaging just 13.8 during the losing streak on 29.6 percent shooting. Kyle Lowry is still out with injury, while Lou Williams steps up in his place. Williams had 21 points off the bench. The team is hoping to get the point guard back after missing three games and the matchup against the Cavaliers would be the best time.
