The Cleveland Cavaliers, after a splendid start to their season, have suffered three-straight losses, which is uncharacteristic of this team. The Cavaliers will want to forget what has happened in the recent past, and move ahead with a win over Toronto Raptors, which is not going to be easy at Air Canada Centre on Monday.
The match has all the ingredients of a classic encounter between the top two teams of the eastern conference.
The two teams have met earlier in the season, twice, and it is the Cavaliers, who have emerged victorious on both counts, but one has to remember it was not easy for the Cavs by any stretch of imagination as they won both the matches by three and four points only.
The third head-to-head contest of the season between Cavaliers and Raptors is also expected to be a close-affair with the number of world-class stars in both the camps. If Cavaliers have LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, the Raptors have Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan as big names.
The Cavaliers will be hurt with their recent performances, and will hope to get back with a bang. They have been below par. Big players like James and Irving need to inspire their team to a huge win. It is just a matter of time for them to get back to their winnings ways, but a victory against the Raptors will do wonders to their confidence. James wants his players to play hard basketball.
"We're not playing hard enough; we're not doing the things that need to be done to win. And it's more microscopic in a loss – you see it more often when you lose – and it probably was happening when we were winning as well. But we just have to clean some things up," nba.com quoted James as saying.
The Cavaliers might have been below par, but the Raptors are an upbeat team in the NBA with six-straight wins. They have defeated big teams like Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks in their last six games, which will give them the confidence while they are searching for their first win of the season against the Cavs.
The Raptors have been stunning this season. Their big names like DeRozan and Lowry has been fantastic, averaging 27.9 and 20.4 ppg, which has helped them pick up some quality wins.
With quality stars for Cavaliers and Raptors, a high-scoring contest is on the cards for fans, who will want some entertaining action on the floor on Monday.
Where to Watch Live
Toronto Raptors vs Cleveland Cavaliers is set to begin at 8.30 pm ET (12.30am GMT, 6am IST next day). Live Streaming and TV guide for the NBA match is below.
India: TV: Sony Six and Sony Six HD. Live Streaming: Sonyliv.
UK: TV: BT Sport. Live Streaming: Watch BT Sport.
Philippines: NBA Premium.
USA: NBA League Pass.
Brazil: Spor Tv
Canada: TV: TSN2. Live Streaming: TSN TV.
International: NBA Online.
