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04/23/2024 09:43:06 am

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NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Cleveland Cavaliers Versus Toronto Raptors Game 5 Preview

lowry and derozan

(Photo : gettyimages.com) Cleveland would be looking to regain their dominance of the Raptors in Game Five.

After losing their first two consecutive postseason games in Toronto, the Cleveland Cavaliers are heading back to Ohio to play host to the visiting Raptors for Game Five of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday night at the Quicken Loans Arena.

The series is currently tied at 2-all, the Cavaliers, who entered the conference finals without losing a game in the early stages of the playoffs, suddenly lost their dominance over the Raptors. The Wine and Gold initially won the first two games of the series but yielded to the Canadian-based basketball team in both Games Three and Four.

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Playing on their home court could help the Cavaliers to continue their shooting magic from long range. Cleveland is leading all NBA clubs in three-pointers per contest this playoff at 14.6, while shooting an NBA-best .424 from the three-point marker.

The Raptors, who survived two winner-take-all Game Seven encounters on their way to the East's finals, managed to turn the table against the top-seeded Cavaliers. Toronto's backcourt combination of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan have been playing very well, with the addition of superb game contributions of Bismack Biyombo, who grabbed a franchise record of 26 big rebounds in their 99-84 Game 3 victory.

Lowry and DeRozan are averaging 55.3 points, 9.0 boards, shooting .500 (15-for-30) from beyond the arc and .898 (53-for-59) at the foul line in these games. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the dynamic All-Star tandem of the Atlantic Division team is the third duo in the Conference Finals or NBA Finals history to record 30-plus points each, while shooting .600 or better from the field.

After being counted out by many, the Raptors have a chance. "It's a feel," Toronto's head coach Dwane Casey said. "It's a rhythm. It's confidence. But I will say this: It's going to be a different animal back in Cleveland."

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