Cavaliers at Raptors
THE STORY: Two of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference meet at Rogers Centre on Wednesday. Perhaps it’s no surprise the Cavaliers and Raptors have a combined winning percentage of .240 entering the final few days of the regular season, since those two franchises lost their megastars during last summer’s free agent bonanza. Both teams are trying to put the wheels back on their respective organizations, but both clearly have a long way to go.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Ohio, TSN2
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (21-56): Toronto has dropped seven of its last eight to tumble into a tie with the Washington Wizards for the second-worst record in the East. The Raptors have been pounded defensively during the skid, allowing 123, 114, 138, 113 and 131 points in separate losses. The most recent was a 131-118 setback at New York on Tuesday, which dropped the Raptors to 26th in the league defensively at 105.6 points per game, a notch below Wednesday’s opponent. One of the few bright spots has been the development of big man Amir Johnson, who is learning to walk the fine line between being aggressive and committing silly fouls. Johnson has struggled at times this season staying on the floor because of foul trouble, but he is averaging 9.6 points and 6.4 rebounds for the year.
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (16-61): Tuesday’s win over the Charlotte
Bobcats ensured the Cavs won’t finish with their worst record in
franchise history. Twice the Cavaliers finished a season 15-67, but they
don’t have to worry about making history anymore. They’ll likely be
without Samardo Samuels again Wednesday. Samuels, already dealing with a
torn ligament in his right wrist, strained his left groin and was a
late scratch prior to the game against the Bobcats. Samuels has started
10 games and served as a key reserve during his rookie season, averaging
7.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Despite owning the league’s worst
record for most of this season, the Cavs have rebounded to win three of
their last seven. Even one of the officials that worked Tuesday’s game
commended coach Byron Scott on the Cavs’ determination to still play
hard, Scott said.
WHO'S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Cleveland’s J.J. Hickson had 16 points and 19 rebounds, one shy of his career high, in Tuesday’s win over the Bobcats. Starting shooting guard Anthony Parker went scoreless, missing all eight shots he attempted. Toronto’s Andrea Bargnani has scored at least 20 points in six of his last seven games. Guard Jose Calderon has seven turnovers in his last two games.
KEY STATISTIC: The Cavaliers are allowing opponents to shoot a lofty 47.6 percent this season, which ranks 27th in the league. The Raptors are even worse, allowing opponents to make 48.3 percent of their shots, which ranks 29th out of the league’s 30 teams.
SEASON SERIES: The Raptors lead 2-0. This is the final meeting of the season.
KEY INJURIES: CLEVELAND: C Semih Erden (shoulder). TORONTO: G Jose Calderon (hamstring); G Leandro Barbosa (finger).
LAST WORD: Despite their lousy records, both teams have big wins over quality opponents this season. Ten of Toronto’s 21 victories have come against teams currently qualified for the playoffs, while the Cavs have victories this season over the Lakers, Celtics and Heat.