It’s an opening night rematch.
A lot has happened since the Cleveland Cavaliers’ opening night loss to to the Toronto Raptors.
Darius Garland, who was injured in that game, returned and has largely played very well since his return. The Cavs went on to win straight after that loss, then lost five in a row, then four straight and have now split their last two. Those two — a loss to the Bucks, a win against the Pistons — were both on Cleveland’s current road trip.
The Cavs are currently third in the Eastern Conference, while the Raptors are seventh. It’s still early — and these two teams are only separated by 2.5 games — but the Cavs been better overall this year. The Raptors just have that opening night win to their credit.
Looking out for two things in this game. 1) Will Caris LeVert play (he’s listed as probably) and how will he look returning from his ankle injury? and 2) What is the Cavs’ energy level like after playing last night in Detroit and playing a tight rotation? That’s going to have an impact.