The Cleveland Cavaliers (1-0) visit the Toronto Raptors (1-0) at the Air Canada Centre on Friday, Oct. 28 for a 2016-2017 NBA Season match.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 7:00 p.m. ET. It can be viewed live online thru the NBA League Pass.
Preview
Cleveland opened their title-defense this season with an impressive 117-88 win over the Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose-led New York Knicks at the Quicken Loans Arena last Tuesday, as per SB Nation.
LeBron James was in his usual dominating form, starting the season with a triple-double of 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 14 assists on 9-for-14 field goal shooting. He only missed twice from the two-point area as he missed all three of his shots from beyond the arc.
Kevin Love was also outstanding as he contributed 23 points, 12 boards, two assists, and three steals in a solid all-around game as well.
However, it was Kyrie Irving who led the team in scoring with 29 points, going 12-for-22 from the field. He also had two rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
Off the bench, veteran forward Richard Jefferson fired 13 points, shooting an astonishing 5-for-7 in field goals, with four rebounds, and two steals.
The Cavs received their championship rings before the game, making them lose a bit of their focus as the team started stiff and allowed the Knicks to stay in the game during the first half.
The players adjusted in the second half and made a 34-19 run in the third quarter to put the game away.
Meanwhile, the Raptors routed the Pistons, 109-91, in their season-opener also at the Air Canada Centre on Wednesday, via ESPN.
DeMar DeRozan led Toronto's attack with 40 points and four rebounds while Kyle Lowry had 10 points, five boards, and eight assists. Starting center Jonas Valanciunas was remarkable with a monstrous double-double of 32 points and 11 rebounds going 10-for-15 from the field.
DeRozan buried a career-high 17 field goals on 27 shots during the game and went 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. DeRozan and Valanciunas were the first-ever tandem in the NBA who scored 40 and 30 points in a season-opener.
Prediction
The Cavs are favored to win this match, but they will not be pulling off another lopsided victory like what they did to the Knicks. The Raptors are a stronger team than they look, as evidenced by their Eastern Conference finals match-up with the eventual champions in the recent playoffs. Toronto could pull off an upset so Cleveland should not be overconfident.
