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With the Toronto Raptors missing productive scorer DeMar DeRozan since Nov. 28 due to a groin injury, the team still looks promising moving forward.
They faced a challenging test on Friday night at home versus LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers. Even with James playing more like a prince than a king so far in 2014, the Cavs are still a formidable threat to qualify for playoffs this year and ruin the Raptors’ chance at an NBA Finals runs.
The Raps have already beaten the Cavs on the road this season by a score of 110-93. Cleveland was a sub .500 team then. DeRozan was integral in the victory, scoring 20 points and helping defensively to limit James to only 15 points.
The Raptors faced an improved Cavaliers squad that appears to be getting their feet under them. Since last playing Toronto, they were riding a five-game winning streak with an average margin of victory being 14.8 points in those wins. It’s fair to say that King James may have been looking to reclaim his throne as well, as he had averaged 24.4 PPG over their last five contests to go with three double-doubles.
Even though the Raps were competitive in this one, the loss still puts them at 15-5, easily keeping them atop the Atlantic Division standings. They are still a top-five team record-wise in the NBA.
DeRozan is expected to miss a month with his adductor longus tendon injury, but it’s a bit of a blurred line. He does not need surgery. If he ends up missing significantly more time, the onus will be on his fill-in Lou Williams, SF Terrence Ross and PG Kyle Lowry to pick up the slack on offense. The Raptors will get a chance to redeem Friday’s loss when they again face the Cavs on the road next Tuesday night.
Jordan Wevers is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JordanWevers, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.
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