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NBA: Cleveland Cavaliers Defeat Charlotte Hornets, Prepare For Toronto Raptors

By Dustin Murrell
Published on: 05:27 PST, Feb 26, 2016

LeBron James and Kyrie Irving each had 23 points on Wednesday night, as the Cleveland Cavaliers returned to their winning ways. As they travel to Canada to face their hottest competition in the NBA Eastern Conference, they will look to Kevin Love to have the same kind of game he had the last time the Cavs played in Alberta, when he had a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds.

When the Cavs hosted the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, Cleveland led by as much as 20 points in the fourth quarter. They ended up winning the game 114-103. Kemba Walker was the only Hornet starter that scored in the double-digits. As they prepare to face the Toronto Raptors tonight, ESPN notes that the Cavaliers will be trying to shut down the dangerous backcourt duo of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, who have combined for 88 points against Cleveland in their first two match-ups this season.

Coming off of one of his worst performances of the year against the Detroit Pistons on Monday, King James returned to form on Wednesday night against the Hornets, racking up 7 assists and 7 rebounds on top of the aforementioned 23 points. Tristan Thompson led the Cavs with 10 rebounds, while J.R. Smith had a game-high 3 steals. Cleveland’s record is now 41-15 going into Toronto, while Charlotte struggles to remain in NBA Playoff contention at 29-27.

As the two leading teams in the Eastern Conference, the Cavaliers and Raptors have split their two previous games this season, both teams winning at home. That bodes well for Toronto, who haven’t lost at home since they hosted the Chicago Bulls on January 3. A win against LeBron and the Cavs would give the Raptors 10 straight wins at the Air Canada Centre. Having won 17 of their last 20 games (including victories over such teams as the Bulls, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat), they appear to be the only team in the Eastern Conference that may challenge Cleveland for the No. 1 seed in the post-season.

The Cavaliers, who have won 6 of their last 7, will look to increase their lead over the Raptors in the Eastern Conference standings from 3 games to 4. While all three division leaders in the Western Conference hold their lead by at least 11 games, Cleveland’s 10.5 game lead over the Indiana Pacers is the only divisional lead in the Eastern Conference currently in double-digits.

The last time that the Cavaliers played in Toronto, Kevin Love had the kind of performance that Cleveland expects from him. He grabbed 13 rebounds and hit 5 three-pointers on his way to 21 points for the game. LeBron had a game-high 8 assists, while Kyle Lowry led the game in scoring with 27 points. While the Cavaliers dominated the Raptors in Cleveland by 22 points on January 4, the Raptors were only able to eek out a 4-point win over the Cavaliers in Toronto.

It should also be noted that Cleveland played the Raptors without the services of Kyrie Irving, Iman Shumpert, Timofey Mozgov or Matthew Dellavedova. With Cleveland’s starting lineup back in full-force tonight, things may play out differently in Toronto this time around.

Where to watch

For viewers in the United States, the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors will be available for those with access to local affiliate FOX Sports Ohio. NBA fans in Canada can catch the Raptors vs. Cavs on Sportsnet One. Live coverage of the game will also be available through Sirius XM radio. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. Eastern/6:30 p.m. Central.

[Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images]

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