Live Thread: Cavs @ Raptors

Good evening CtB!

Tonight the Cavs are across the border in Toronto, Ontario for an important early conference matchup against the Raptors. Some thought that the Raptors would really miss Kyle Lowry, but they’ve come out of the gates strong with a 6-3 record. OG Anunoby, Fred Van Vleet, and rookie of the year candidate Scottie Barnes have led their team’s great start. The Cavs will have their hands full on the road.

For the Cavs, Isaac Okoro has already been reported out for the game due to his nagging hamstring injury. There has been no news about Kevin Love or Lauri Markkanen, so it’s safe to assume they’ll be unavailable as well. Dylan Windler and Dean Wade were excellent filling in last game against the Portland Trail Blazers so it would be reasonable to expect some minutes for the duo tonight.

The question for the Cavs tonight is, “Do they want more?” 5-4 is a good record to start, far better than the expectations heading to the season. But do they want to be more than a .500 team? Do they want to go to another level? Or are they really just satisfied with being a competitive team? Beating a team such as Toronto on the road would be a real feather in the cap in this early part of the season.

The Cavs are six point underdogs at the time of this writing, and the public heavily siding with a Toronto cover. Tipoff is at 7:30pm ET and will be broadcasted on Bally’s Sports Ohio/Great Lakes… GO CAVS!