J.R. Smith said something about Sam Dekker ‘talking some Trump ****’ and his wife came back at him on Twitter. Smith wasn’t having it.
J.R. Smith calls out ex-teammate he ‘didn’t like,’ player’s wife gets involved — LeBron Wire
“We’ve had no conversations about him not being here and we’ve been planning for the future with him.”
J.B. Bickerstaff on Andre Drummond: ‘We’ve been planning for the future with him’ — ProBasketballTalk | NBC Sports
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — If Denver coach Mike Malone and LeBron James are friends now, it wasn’t always that way. In fact, Malone said, it was probably his willingness to be hard on the budding Cleveland star that helped earn him respect. For five years as a Cavaliers assistant under Mike Brown, Malone was…
Denver’s Mike Malone pushed LeBron James to be better in Cleveland — Daily News
It’s been three weeks since the NBA indefinitely suspended the 2019-20 season amid the COVID-19 scare, leaving game-day staff without their usual paychecks. Kevin Love, however, wasn’t about to watch them walk away empty-handed. One day after the season was put on hold, the Cleveland Cavaliers forward donated $100,000 of his own money through the…
Kevin Love Explains His Decision To Donate $100K To Cavs Game-Day Staff — NESN.com
t’s been three weeks since the NBA indefinitely suspended the 2019-20 season amid the COVID-19 scare, leaving game-day staff without their usual paychecks. Kevin Love, however, wasn’t about to watch them walk away empty-handed. One day after the season was put on hold, the Cleveland Cavaliers forward donated $100,000 of his own money through the Kevin Love Fund to help support game-day staff at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Since then, several other NBA players have followed suit with their respective teams. Love said he could not stop thinking about the impact the suspended season would have on the game-day employees, whom he frequently interacted with. So deciding to donate was a no-brainer. “A lot of these people are living paycheck to paycheck,” Love said on Tuesday’s episode of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.” “And these are people that are a part of not only my story, but the Cavs organization. And you start to develop a first-first-name relationship with these people and start to ask about their family. You see them when you come into the arena, you see them when you leave the arena. So I thought it was important to just take care of people that have taken care of me (for) so long and are a part of the story both on and off the floor.”
Read more at: https://nesn.com/2020/03/kevin-love-explains-his-decision-to-donate-100k-to-cavs-game-day-staff/
February 20, 2020 John Beilein formally resigned as coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday after multiple days of speculation that he wouldn’t be leading the team when play commenced after the All-Star break. The Cavaliers said Beilein will be reassigned to a different role within the organization. Cleveland is just 14-40, the second-worst record […]
NBA notebook: Beilein resigns as Cavs coach — Apadana Freedom Foundation
Cleveland Cavaliers’ Alfonzo McKinnie shoots against the Los Angeles Clippers in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) Cleveland Cavaliers’ Collin Sexton (2) passes the ball against Los Angeles Clippers’ JaMychal Green (4) in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 9,…
Lou Williams, Clippers hand Cavs worst home loss in franchise history — Daily News
Andre Drummond is on the move. The Detroit Pistons reportedly shipped the star center to the Cleveland Cavaliers with less an hour to go before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report the news. Cleveland is finalizing a trade for Detroit’s Andre Drummond, league source tells ESPN. — Adrian Wojnarowski…
NBA Rumors: Cavaliers Acquire Andre Drummond In Trade With Pistons — NESN.com.
CLEVELAND (WJW) — Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry claims he was pushed by a fan during Thursday night’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The alleged incident occurred late in the fourth quarter during the game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Video shows Lowry land on two fans in the front row of the stands after saving a loose ball. One fan is then shown placing his hand on the player’s back before he returns to the court. It is unclear […]
Raptors’ Kyle Lowry claims he was pushed by fan after diving for loose ball during Cavs game — fox8.com
CLEVELAND — Make it six for the King of the 6ix. Read More
Lowry an all-star for sixth time and leads Raptors to win in Cleveland — Toronto Sun.
GAME #48 – TORONTO RAPTORS (33-14) vs. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (13-35) THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020 – 7 P.M. (ET) – ROCKET MORTGAGE FIELDHOUSE TV: SPORTSET ONE – RADIO: TSN 1050 TORONTO
RAPTORS NOTES • The Toronto Raptors play the first game of a back-to-back set Thursday night when they visit the Cleveland Cavaliers. This is the third and final meeting between the two teams this season, with Toronto taking the first two games – both played at Scotiabank Arena. Kyle Lowry led all scorers with 24 points and recorded eights assists in the Raptors’ 117-97 victory New Year’s Eve. Lowry is averaging 22.0 points and 9.5 assists against the Cavaliers this season. With a win Thursday, the Raptors would sweep the season series with Cleveland for the first time since 2000-01.
• The Raptors have won a season-high eight straight games (Jan. 15-28). Toronto is averaging 122.4 points and shooting .497 (359-722) from the field, including .396 (122-308) from beyond the arc over the last eight games. Pascal Siakam is averaging a team-high 20.6 points during this stretch. The Raptors’ longest winning streak in franchise history is 11 games (2X: Feb. 26 – Mar. 16, 2018 and Jan. 1 – 30, 2016).
• Kyle Lowry needs 84 points to tie Vince Carter (9,420) for third on the Raptors’ all-time points list (top-five on page three). On Tuesday night, Lowry surpassed Jose Calderon (3,770) as Toronto’s all-time leader in assists, finishing the night with 11 assists. Lowry was already the franchise leader in 3-point field goals and steals. The only NBA players who are their current franchise’s all-time leader in assists are Houston’s James Harden and Washington’s John Wall.
• Toronto has won seven straight games on the road (Jan. 4-26) – tied for the second longest streak in team history. The Raptors won a franchise record nine in a row on the road Feb. 11 – Mar. 20, 2018.
• The Raptors continue a stretch on seven consecutive games (Jan. 26 – Feb. 8) vs. Eastern Conference opponents Thursday night. Toronto is 23-7 (.767) against the East this season – the third best winning percentage in the NBA behind Milwaukee (.897) and LA Clippers (.778). Toronto has won nine of their last 10 games against Eastern Conference foes. During this stretch, Toronto is averaging 115.6 points and shooting .466 (417-895) from the field.
• Pascal Siakam was named a starter for the 2020 NBA All-Star Game in Chicago. Siakam becomes the seventh player in franchise history to earn an All-Star selection, joining Chris Bosh (five times), Vince Carter (five times), Kyle Lowry (five times), DeMar DeRozan (four times), Antonio Davis and Kawhi Leonard. Siakam’s selection also extends a streak of six consecutive years that a Raptor has been voted into the starting five – Lowry (2015, 2016), DeRozan (2017, 2018) and Leonard (2019). • With Tuesday’s win vs. Atlanta, the Raptors improved to 10-3 in the month of January. Toronto has finished with a winning record each of the past 21 calendar months (February 2017 – January 2020). The streak is the longest in franchise history and the longest current streak in the NBA. The last month in which Toronto did not have a winning record was January 2017 (8–9).
• All-Star forward Pascal Siakam was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Jan. 20-26. He earned the honour for the third time in his career and the second time this season. Siakam averaged team highs of 23.5 points and 9.0 rebounds in four wins last week.
PROBABLE STARTERS
G – OG ANUNOBY #3
MIN: 29.2 REB: 5.5 AST: 1.7 STL: 1.1 TO: 1.2 BLK: 0.7 PTS: 10.5
• Finished with four points, six rebounds and three blocks in 27 minutes Jan. 28 vs. Atlanta. • Toronto is 19-4 this season when Anunoby scores 10 or more points. • Shooting a career-best .490 (193-394) from the field, including .471 (48-102) through 13 games in January.
F – PASCAL SIAKAM #43
MIN: 35.0 REB: 7.7 AST: 3.4 STL: 0.9 TO: 2.5 BLK: 0.9 PTS: 23.8
• Totaled a team high-tying 24 points, nine rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes Jan. 28 vs. Atlanta. • Ranks 15th in the NBA in scoring (23.8); averaging 27.3 points over the last three games (Jan. 24-28). • Has scored 30+ points 11 times; had five 30-point performances in 80 games played last season.
C – SERGE IBAKA #9
MIN: 26.2 REB: 8.2 AST: 1.3 STL: 0.6 TO: 1.8 BLK: 0.8 PTS: 15.0
• Scored a team-high trying 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 27 minutes off the bench Jan. 28 vs. Atlanta. • Averaging 17.6 points, 9.9 rebounds and 31.7 minutes in 14 games as a starter this season. • Has scored in double figures each of the last four games (Jan. 22-28); averaging 16.5 points during this span.
G – KYLE LOWRY #7
MIN: 36.9 REB: 4.6 AST: 7.4 STL: 1.2 TO: 2.8 BLK: 0.4 PTS: 19.8
• Recorded his seventh double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 assists Jan. 28 vs. Atlanta. • Tied for eighth in the NBA in assists per game (7.4); averaging 7.2 assists through 13 games in January. • Has scored 20+ points in 19 games this season; scored 20+ points 15 times in 65 games last season.
G – FRED VANVLEET #23
MIN: 26.2 REB: 8.2 AST: 1.3 STL: 0.6 TO: 1.8 BLK: 0.8 PTS: 15.0
• Finished with 19 points, three assists and one steal in 29 minutes Jan. 28 vs. Atlanta. • Tied for fourth in the NBA in steals per game (1.97); has registered multiple steals in 18 games. • Averaging 19.8 points and is shooting .535 (23-43) from three-point range over the last six games (Jan. 18-28).
INJURY REPORT Marc Gasol (Left hamstring; tightness) – Out Dewan Hernandez (Right ankle; sprain) – Out Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Right ankle sprain) – Out Patrick McCaw (Nose; fracture) – Questionable.
CLEVELAND’S LAST GAME STARTERS
POS NO. PLAYER HT. WT. G GS PPG RPG APG FG% MPG
F 16 CEDI OSMAN 6-7 230 19-20: 48 48 11.0 3.4 2.3 .447 29.1
F 0 KEVIN LOVE 6-8 247 19-20: 41 41 17.4 9.9 2.8 .450 31.1
C 13 TRISTAN THOMPSON 6-9 254 19-20: 46 46 12.2 10.3 2.1 .515 31.2
G 1 DANTÉ EXUM 6-5 214 19-20: 26 1 4.3 1.7 1.1 .465 13.5
G 2 COLLIN SEXTON 6-1 192 19-20: 48 48 19.5 3.3 2.5 .458 32.0
CAVALIERS INJURY REPORT
Brandon Knight (Left Knee; Soreness) – OUT
Dylan Windler (Left Lower Leg; Stress Reaction) – OUT
Ante Zizic (Illness) – OUT
2019-20 GAME RECAPS (Raptors Lead Series 2-0)
CAVALIERS 97, RAPTORS 117 – SCOTIABANK ARENA – TORONTO, ON (12/31/19) – REGULAR SEASON GAME #33
KEY PERFORMERS: Collin Sexton recorded a team-high 22 points on 8-15 (.533) shooting from the field and one steal in 32 minutes…Tristan Thompson notched his 17th double-double of the season with 14 points on 5-6 (.833) shooting and a game-high tying 11 rebounds in 32 minutes of work…Kevin Love also registered a double-double, his 14th of the season, with 10 points, a game-high tying 11 rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 30 minutes…Cedi Osman shot 4-8 (.500) from three-point range and finished with 14 points, four rebounds, four assists and one block in 25 minutes…Darius Garland had 12 points, four assists and one steal in 34 minutes…Kevin Porter Jr. added 13 points, four rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes…For Toronto, Kyle Lowry had game highs of 24 points and eight assists in 36 minutes…Serge Ibaka recorded a double-double with 20 points and a team-high 10 rebounds in 33 minutes.
TURNING POINT: The Raptors closed out the second half on a 20-8 run to go up 59-43 and led by double-digits the rest of the way. CAVS HIGHLIGHTS: Six players scored in double figures for Cleveland…The Cavs knocked down 10 three-pointers, shot 13-16 (.812) from the charity stripe and had 19 second chance points.
DECEMBER 31, 2019 SCORE HI SCORER HI REBOUND HI ASSISTS FG% FT% REB (O-D-T)
CAVALIERS 97-117 SEXTON – 22 LOVE/THOMPSON – 11 OSMAN/PORTER JR. – 4 37-87 (.425) 13-16 (.812) 8-33-41
at Raptors Lowry – 24 Ibaka – 10 Lowry – 8 40-84 (.476) 20-25 (.800) 10-35-45
CAVALIERS 113, RAPTORS 133 – SCOTIABANK ARENA – TORONTO, ON (12/16/19) – REGULAR SEASON GAME #27
KEY PERFORMERS: Collin Sexton posted a team-high 25 points on 10-16 (.625) shooting from the field, five rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes…Darius Garland finished with 20 points on 7-14 (.500) shooting, including 4-8 (.500) from long range, two rebounds, a team-high tying five assists and two steals in 38 minutes…Tristan Thompson tallied 18 points on 9-14 (.643) shooting, a teamhigh eight rebounds and three assists in 32 minutes…Cedi Osman shot 3-6 (.500) from deep and finished with 12 points, two rebounds and one steal in 25 minutes…For Toronto, Pascal Siakam had a game-high 33 points on 13-24 (.542) shooting, including 5-8 (.625) from three-point range, in 36 minutes…Normal Powell tallied 26 points on 11-15 (.733) shooting, including 4-6 (.667) from beyond the arc, six rebounds and five assists in 36 minutes…Kyle Lowry recorded a double-double with 20 points and a game-high 11 assists in 37 minutes.
TURNING POINT: With Toronto leading 16-11 midway through the first quarter, the Raptors increased their lead 35-17 after a 19-6 run and led by seven points or more the rest of the way. CAVS HIGHLIGHTS: The Cavs handed out 30 assists to 11 turnovers and scored 56 points in the paint…Cleveland also knocked down 12 three-pointers.
DECEMBER 16, 2019 SCORE HI SCORER HI REBOUND HI ASSISTS FG% FT% REB (O-D-T)
CAVALIERS 113-133 SEXTON – 25 THOMPSON – 8 GARLAND/HENSON – 5 44-90 (.489) 13-17 (.765) 9-30-39
Raptors Siakam – 33 Anunoby – 9 Lowry – 11 52-89 (.584) 13-17 (.765) 6-35-4
The Toronto Raptors closed out a memorable decade by rolling past the Cleveland Cavaliers 117-97 on New Year’s Eve. Read More
Champion Raptors close decade with easy win over Cavaliers — Toronto Sun
(10-23) CLEVELAND CAVALIERS, 97 VS. (23-11) TORONTO RAPTORS, 117 SCOTIABANK ARENA TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2019
TORONTO RAPTORS QUOTES
NICK NURSE (HEAD COACH)
On the starting lineup change … You guys know that I like to mix it up a little bit, I haven’t been doing it all that much this year and I thought maybe get both of them going – both Rondae (Hollis-Jefferson) and OG (Anunoby) … It seemed like it worked out okay, they both played really well tonight, I liked the energy from both of them.
On getting OG into the small forward position being a factor … Yeah, it did, I think that is an interesting part of it. Out of position is sometimes out of position, and getting him back there and getting him more comfortable. I just liked again, both of them were more focused, way more energetic, they were down and guarding, they were rebounding and when you are like that other good things, you know your shooting, your making strong moves and stuff seem to follow.
On using Rondae to start moving forward … I don’t know. Mixing up the starting lineup here for a little bit is probably something that you are going to see. I am just going to see what it looks like and feels like depending on who we are playing a little bit and go from there.
On Terence Davis being more energetic and not effected by the end of the last game … Yeah, which is good. He is a shooter and we need him to vault up and take them when he has got them and he found some rhythm tonight. I think we got a couple of set plays for him too and he made those, so that’s a good sign. It’s good that he came out and put that one in the past as history and moved on.
TERENCE DAVIS II (19 points, four rebounds)
On bouncing back after last game… I went home and watched the film and really (learned) from those mistakes. Down the stretch I looked at the clock and didn’t really tick in the time and score but that’s to take home with me down the road, just learning from those mistakes.
What does it feel like when you’re on an offensive role like that? Well I see it like this, when I see one go in I feel pretty good. I see another go in, I say okay, then another and it’s just the game of basketball, it’s how the game of basketball goes. Starts falling, you feel good, a good state of mind, actually.
FRED VANVLEET (12 points, seven assists)
On having chemistry with Terence Davis II tonight… I think offensively he’s a microwave, you know he heats up pretty quick. Know where to find him and usually if you get him in a good spot and he gets his feet down he’s got a quick release, so he can get them off, so tonight I thought he did a good of finding spots. Just playing confident and this is one of those games where a guy could find some rhythm, start off really hot then kind of hit the wall a little bit so to speak. I try to look for him to get his rhythm back and get his swagger back.
Do you say anything to OG Anunoby coming off the bench? Not really, guys got to figure it out as it goes. We are all pretty close and maybe too close to the point that we don’t really give each other pep talks. I know I didn’t, at least. You expect a guy to play no matter what position he’s in. He did a good job of coming in, ready to go and played pretty much identical to the way he’s been playing, he just made shots tonight, so that is kind of the cure all in most situations. He made some shots and that’s all that you look for.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS QUOTES
JOHN BEILEIN (HEAD COACH)
On tonight’s game… Not a very good game for us, credit Toronto for that. They have such a great system that they are playing with. They have tremendous guards who really run that thing so well and they are really sound defensively. We were not good in many areas of the game today, end of the road trip, whatever, we just weren’t very good. I’ve got to watch the video and see what we can do to get better.
What was the most difficult thing tonight in containing them from the three-point line? They had the guys come off the bench with (Terence) Davis hitting the three, and OG (Anunoby) hitting the three and then of course just when you think maybe make a little run, (Kyle) Lowry will make a tough three. Their guard play is really experienced and really good, and it shows. They really have a great rhythm to what they do, they are hard to stop and then at the end of the first half, that last 45 seconds was just, frankly, was embarrassing.
How do you get your backcourt duo to play like Lowry and VanVleet? They just have to get the same experience those two have. They got years and years and years. Lowry was at Villanova when I was coaching at West Virginia, so that’s a long time ago. He’s got a lot of knowledge that I’m sure our guys will have over time. And then VanVleet, four years at Wichita State, led his team to the Final Four and really has earned this thing all the way through and really has done a great job. So those two guys are terrific. In today’s game, two guards like that, despite their size, can dominate and they really dominated the game today. They didn’t dominate our guards, they just dominated the game by making the right play.
COLLIN SEXTON (22 points)
What did you see out of the Raptors tonight? They’re a tough team, a championship team, so you know they’re going to put up a really good fight – and also they lost to OKC the other night so they had a chip on their shoulder and wanted to pretty much beat us. You could tell from the very start of the game that they had a different type of energy. The fans had a good type of energy that helped them tonight.
Where do you want to see the team improve offensively? Offensively? Just keep taking the shots. Making the right plays and doing what we do. I feel like most things come on defence. Not sprinting back, stopping in the backcourt, little things that we can control like boxing out. I don’t know how many offensive rebounds they had tonight, but it was a lot. We have to make sure we help the bigs and rebound. As a group we have to get better. Just get better and hopefully get some wins together.
TRISTAN THOMPSON (14 points, 11 rebounds)
What are some takeaways from this game? That everyone finished the game healthy. At the end of the day going into the new year, it’s bigger than basketball. You just want guys to finish out the year strong, finish out 2019 strong and be healthy. We got through the game, you guys saw what happened, the Raptors are a really good team. You have to give them credit. They play hard. It was their night tonight. Thinking about getting back to Cleveland and guys can spend time with their family because that’s what it’s all about.
On improving defensively… I think communication. Just talking, just have to open our mouth and call out the calls. If we see something we have to holler. Call it out loud and continuous so our teammates know what’s going on. We have to be on the same page with it.
What comes to your mind when you think of 2019 on the court? 2019? Some new faces, young guys getting better and adding some good young pieces. Collin, DG, KPG. It’s good. I’m happy with our young guys. They want to learn. They want to be great and they’re going to keep pushing themselves day in and day out.
On Kyle Lowry… Kyle Lowry is a Hall of Famer. He’s a (five)-time All-Star, Olympic gold medalist, an NBA champ. He’s their backbone. He’s been here since when they drew that charge against him in Brooklyn with Paul Pierce. He’s been through all that. When we were playing them in the Eastern Conference Finals and sweeping them. Then with Kawhi in the Finals, so he’s been through, just like myself, highs and lows, for him he keeps this ship running. He’s playing at a high level. Kyle is a bulldog. He competes every night. That’s why his teammates love him – because you can count on the guy every night.
The view from left field 