NBA Recap: Cleveland Cavaliers One Game Away From Sending Toronto Raptors Home

The Cleveland Cavaliers took a 3-2 lead after last night’s win, according to ESPN. The Cavaliers dominated the Toronto Raptors in Game 5. The Raptors look like they were lost tonight on the court. LeBron James and the Cavaliers defeated them 116-78. It was a lopsided victory in front of the home crowd. It was the fifth largest Conference Finals victory. They regain control of the series.

The Cleveland Cavaliers rebounded from back to back losses to the Toronto Raptors. The Cavaliers opened up a 34 point lead in the first half. They pushed that lead to as high as 43 in the second half. The big three for the Cavaliers spent the fourth quarter resting on the bench. They came out focused and ready to take back the lead in the series.

The big three led the way for the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron James scored 23 points, eight assists, six rebounds, two steals, and a block in 32 minutes of action. He was 10 for 17 from the field. James was his usual self in tonight’s victory. Kevin Love scored 25 points, two assists, two rebounds, two blocks, and a steal in 24 minutes. He shot an amazing eight for 10 from the field. Love was three for four from beyond on the arc and shot six for six from the free throw line. Kyrie Irving scored 23 points, three assists, three rebounds, three steals, and one block. He shot nine for 17 from the field. Irving only turned the ball over once. That’s amazing for a point guard. The big three combined for 71 points in game five.

The Cleveland Cavaliers unleashed tenacious defense tonight. They held the Toronto Raptors to 39.1 percent from the field. The Cavaliers held them to 17.6 percent from the three point line. That is amazing. They stole the ball 11 times and got six blocks. The Cavaliers forced a total of 19 turnovers for the entire game. They collected 48 rebounds and held the Raptors to only 22 rebounds.

The Toronto Raptors were coming into Game 5 with momentum and confidence. They just recently came back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the series. Bismack Biyombo was playing lights out in Games 3 and 4. Biyombo grabbed 40 rebounds in the past two games. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan combined for 67 points in Game 4. The Raptors were getting back center Jonas Valanciunas. He missed eight games due to a sprained right ankle. Valanciunas scored eight points in 18 minutes.

Things didn’t turn out the way the Toronto Raptors hoped. The Raptors continued their road woes and dropped 2-7 this postseason. They were held to only 34 points in the first half. The Raptors were down 31 points going into halftime. The largest deficit in the team’s history. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan didn’t look like their usual self tonight. Lowry looked like he found his shooting stroke in the two wins in Toronto.

The Toronto Raptors looked like they were uncomfortable since the first quarter. They were down by 18 after the first. Kyle Lowry scored 13 points, six assists, three rebounds, and a steal. He was five for 12 from the field and one for four from beyond the arc. Lowry even struggled from the free throw line, shooting two for six. Lowry turned the ball over five times. DeMar DeRozan scored 14 points, three assists, three rebounds, two steals, and a block. He went two for eight from the field. DeRozan scored most of his points from the free throw line. He went 10 for 12 from the line. Bismack Biyombo only grabbed four rebounds with a block.

The Toronto Raptors will be back home for Game 6. They are going to look to bounce back and tie up the series and force Game 7.