Cavs at Raptors preview and gamethread

Have the Cavaliers unlocked another level to their defense?

The Cavaliers are looking to clinch the season sweep of the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (43-10) at Toronto Raptors (17-37)

Where: Scotiabank Arena – Toronto, ON

When: 7:30pm EST

TV: FanDuel Sports Network, NBA League Pass

Line: Cavaliers – 13.5

Expected Cavs starting lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, De’Andre Hunter, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen.

Cavs injury report: Ty Jerome – QUESTIONABLE (calf), Max Strus – QUESTIONABLE (ankle), Isaac Okoro – OUT (shoulder), Dean Wade – OUT (calf), JT Thor – OUT (G League)

Expected Raptors starting lineup: Immanuel Quickley, Gradey Dick, Ochiai Agbaji, Scottie Barnes, Jonathan Mogbo

Raptors injury report from Tuesday’s game vs. 76ers: RJ Barrett – OUT (return to conditioning), Brandon Ingram – OUT (ankle), Jakob Poeltl – OUT (hip), P.J. Tucker – OUT (not with team), A.J. Lawson – OUT (G League)

What to watch for

Has Hunter enabled the Cavaliers’ defense to go to another level?

Don’t look now, but the Cleveland Cavaliers might flirt with being a top-five team on both sides of the court by season’s end. While it’s way too early to say, the Cavaliers put Minnesota in a choke hold Monday night. The first quarter might be the most dire stretch the Timberwolves have suffered all season as they shot 2-21 from the field leading to 12 total points in the opening frame.

While Hunter was not the sole reason the defense looked the way it did on Monday, the pros of Hunter’s presence were almost immediately felt. The Cavaliers while struggling on the offensive end were able to start the game against the Wolves on a 16-0 start. Hunter is a different archetype than the Cavaliers had on this roster previously.

Hunter at 6 ‘8 is someone who paired alongside either Jarrett Allen or Evan Mobley (even both) will give the Cavaliers different looks than having to do patchwork with their personnel. I know there are Isaac Okoro believers (including myself) however, despite offensive shooting growth it’s hard to envision him staying on the floor late in postseason games.

If Monday is any indication of what’s to come, the Cavaliers made a necessary and smart swing to fill their biggest hole, versatility. Hunter provides a solid solution as the Cavaliers look to go toe to toe with the Celtics and Thunder, two teams whose switchability and versatility have given them troubles in the past.

What is the road map for Toronto?

The Toronto Raptors also made a swing for a wing at the deadline. They made a deal that saw Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk (insert boo noise), a first-round pick, and a future second go out the door for Brandon Ingram. The price tag was not really steep for a quality player in Ingram; however, I think most of the league reacted with a synchronized “Huh?”

Ingram joins in a recent collection of talent by Toronto that paints a picture without much purpose. Ingram now joins a Raptors team that has an overlap of skill players between Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett. To further muddy up the vision, Ingram has only played 18 games this season and was set to become a free agent in the summer. The clock is ticking for the Raptors brass to assemble a plan and a cohesive roster construction.

The salary cap room continues to dwindle as they invested over $118 million into the “core” of Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, Barrett, and Jakob Poeltl. Now, with Ingram extended, the question arises as to who is going to be viewed as a pillar of this franchise.

One thing is for sure, Toronto needed to take swings to bring in talent, but they didn’t need to make things more complicated for themselves.