Cavaliers at Raptors
The Toronto Raptors aim to defeat visiting Cleveland for the third time this season when they host the Cavaliers on Friday. The Raptors still own the best record in the NBA but lost five of their past nine games following an impressive 20-4 start.
Toronto appeared headed to a third straight defeat but recovered from a 17-point deficit to record a 99-96 victory over the visiting Indiana Pacers on Wednesday. Point guard Fred VanVleet drained the go-ahead 3-pointer with 26.4 seconds left on a night in which he made just 4-of-17 shots. Cleveland split the first two contests of a three-game trip - winning at Indiana on Tuesday, losing to Charlotte on Wednesday - and lost 10 of its last 14 games. Backup shooting guard Jordan Clarkson scored 20 points in the 110-99 loss to the Hornets and is averaging 22.3 points over his past four appearances.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FS Ohio (Cleveland), Sportsnet One (Toronto)
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (8-24): Rookie point guard Collin Sexton struggled to 11 points on 5-of-16 shooting on Wednesday while being outclassed by Charlotte star Kemba Walker (30 points). Coach Larry Drew wasn't focused on just the poor shooting but on how Sexton didn't do other things to help the team on a night when his shot wasn't falling. "A good game versus a bad game should not be predicated on your points and how many points you score, how many shots you make," Drew told reporters. "You have to do the other things to affect the game and impact it. And that's an area where he has to grow. He's got the speed, he's got the quickness and every night it's not going to be a scoring night."
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (24-9): Point guard Kyle Lowry (thigh) will miss his fourth straight game and that will provide another starting opportunity for VanVleet, who said he didn't suffer a confidence hit while missing 11 of his first 12 shots against the Pacers. "If you don't want me to shoot, then I'll be on the bench," VanVleet told reporters. Power forward Serge Ibaka (knee) sat out versus Indiana and is listed as questionable against Cleveland and that could mean another start for Pascal Siakam, who had 17 points, seven rebounds and three steals against the Pacers.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. SF Kawhi Leonard averaged 29 points and 11 rebounds as the Raptors won this season's first two meetings by an average of 11.5 points.
2. Cleveland G Matthew Dellavedova (knee) could miss his second straight game.
3. Toronto SF Norman Powell (shoulder) returned from a 21-game absence to score two points in 15 minutes against Indiana.