Published on: Mar 6, 2022 9:54 pm IST|Updated on: Mar 6, 2022 9:54 pm IST
CLE vs TOR Dream11: The NBA carnival keeps rolling on and we as the basketball fans have been blessed a bunch of memories this season. But the NBA business model doesn’t let you hold on to the memories for long, teams go on winning runs and they can lose a bunch of games. This is why this is a taxing league where each team has to play 82 games and of course injuries, fatigue, and team chemistry are among some of the perpetual issues. Talking about injuries, let us jump into the match between the Toronto Raptors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers and Raptors have both skipped the winning trail recently and the period since February has been a rather tough one on both squads. The Cavs are at the sixth spot, the Raptors are at the seventh spot, and the Cavaliers have two more wins and two fewer losses than the Raptors. So, this is a crucial game for both teams. If the Cavs lose this game, the Raptors are going to be highly close to overtaking the Cavaliers. However, they have been hurt with OG Anunoby’s injury and the continued absence of Fred Van Vleet. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers also had to deal with an injury to Darius Garland recently and they do need a rejuvenation.
Host: Cleveland Cavaliers Visitors: Toronto Raptors Match Timing: 7 March, @ 06:00 AM Venue: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
Cavaliers: They need a boost This is the third time this season when the Cavaliers have hit a tricky window. First, it occurred when the team lost five in a row during Mid-November, and then they lost three in a row around late December but the current losing run has been more costly. They have lost six of the last seven games and earlier teams like Celtics and Sixers were struggling, both teams are soaring currently and that is why the Cavs have fallen to the sixth spot. This is why it is crucial to hitting a four/five-game winning streak and at least fend off Raptors from getting close to the sixth spot because if you lose the sixth position, you gotta feature in the Play-in tournament.
Darius Garland has been doing his thing with his ability to shoot from the perimeter and also hit open teammates while Jarrett Allen has also done well as an inside scorer. However, Evan Mobley’s production has fallen on the offensive end while Kevin Love has also seen a fall. Markkanen has done well but the team has rather been a bit loose on the defensive end compared to the earlier windows when they were among the elite teams. Caris LeVert has been injured for a couple of weeks and perhaps his return can restore the much-needed offensive balance. So, how will the Cavs fare in the coming window?
Raptors: Anunoby and Fred are needed The Raptors have won 26 out of their 42 games with Anunoby in the lineup, meaning they have won 61% of their games with him. With him out, the team has won just eight games and has lost 13 games, meaning below 40% wins. This clearly indicates that the team has struggled without him and he is indeed a stabilizer at the wing and his stats aren’t enough to indicate his two-way props. On the other hand, the team’s leading playmaker and premier perimeter defender Fred Van Vleet has also been absent recently and in his absence, the team’s defense has been a little hurt. This is why the team needs more out of Gary, Scottie, and Siakam as of now.
Trent Jr. was lighting up the league with 30+ points nights, he had five of them from late January to early February but has struggled efficiency-wise since then, this means that he is thriving when playing alongside Fred Van Vleet because perhaps they both have better chemistry than him and Flynn(Or is it exhaustion?). Then if you look at Siakam, he has also struggled quite a bit recently but he can come up with big nights every now and then. Scottie Barnes has done a great job as the all-around wing, especially picking up his scoring while Malachi Flynn has been doing a great job as a filler guard for the team. Achiuwa has been huge off the bench in the middle while Chris Boucher despite his fallen production has given decent minutes. But at the end of the day, the team needs Fred and OG to restore the balance.
Toronto Raptors | Cleveland Cavaliers Games: 63| 63 Wins: 34| 36 Defeats: 29 | 27
Cleveland Cavaliers Team News
Cavaliers Expected Starting Five
Stretch-Four: PF: Lauri Markkanen Defensive Wing: SF: Isaac Okoro Middle: C: Jarrett Allen | C: Evan Mobley Guards: PG: Darius Garland
BENCH: Kevin Love, Cedi Osman, LaMar Stevens, Dylan Windler, Ed Davis, RJ Nembhard Jr. Kevin Pangos, Brandon Goodwin.
Toronto Raptors Team News
Raptors Expected Starting Five Wing: SF: Scottie Barnes Middle: PF: Pascal Siakam | C: Khem Birch Guards: SG: Fred VanVleet(QUESTIONABLE)/ Malachi Flynn | PG: Gary Trent Jr
BENCH: Chris Boucher, Precious Achiuwa, Svi Mykhailiuk, Delano Banton, Isaac Bonga, Justin Champagnie, Malachi Flynn, Yuta Watanabe.
Pascal Siakam(TOR) Points: 34 Rebounds: 14 Assists: 02 Big Forward Siakam has done a great job in terms of scrapping up points, grabbing top-notch rebounds, and being an all-around threat. He has usually scored 18 or more, grabbing 6-10 rebounds, dishing around 5 assists, and clinching 1 or more steals. Siakam can be chosen as a Star/Pro Player in the Dream 11 NBA Fantasy scenario. Expected Fantasy Points Range: 29-42
Darius Garland(CLE) Points: 26 Rebounds: 04 Assists: 19 Steals: 02 Blocks: 01 Darius has been one of the best playmakers in the league and leads the Cavaliers in terms of points and will need to continue doing it with his team losing the way recently. The Guard has usually been in 20+ points and 8+ assists range. Expected Fantasy Points Range: 38-60
Scottie Barnes(TOR) Points: 10 Rebounds: 05 Assists: 04 Blocks: 02 Wing Barnes has done a great job as an all-around and two-way presence as a rookie for the Raptors. He has scored 18 or more in three of the last five games while grabbing around 10 rebounds in same amount of games. Expected Fantasy Points Range: 30-42
Jarrett Allen(CLE) Points: 20 Rebounds: 07 Assists: 00 Blocks: 01 Steals: 01 Allen is a physical Center who has done a great job at scoring inside, rebounding, and also playing top-notch defense. He has mostly been in 18-21 points and has grabbed 8 rebounds or more usually. Expected Fantasy Points Range: 26-36
Gary Trent Jr.(CLE) Points: 04 Rebounds: 02 Assists: 03 Blocks: 02 Trent Jr. is a terrific pressure defender but the team needs more from him in terms of offensive production with Fred Van Vleet out. Gary has been mostly in the 12-14 points range while notching 1 or more steals on a regular basis. Expected Fantasy Points Range: 17-29
Scottie Barnes(TOR) Points: 28 Rebounds: 05 Assists: 01 Steals: 02 Young wing Barnes has been up-and-down scoring-wise but brings a lot to the plate in terms of rebounding and defense. Scottie has been scoring around 15 points and has grabbed 4-5 rebounds and clasping 1-2 steals a game regularly. Expected Fantasy Points Range: 25-38
PG: M Flynn SG: G Trent, D Garland(SP) SF: L Markkanen, C Osman, S Barnes PF: P Siakam(PP) C: J Allen
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This match-up between the Cavaliers and the Raptors is not going to be shown on streaming platforms Voot and JIOTV, the two designated NBA streaming services in India. Meanwhile, the TV outlets MTV and VH1 are also not going to display this game. So the best way to catch up to the action is by buying an annual subscription to the NBA League Pass. The annual subscription provides you access to all the live games, and if you can’t watch the live stream, you can dive into a full game replay afterward. For learning the news, score, stats, go to the official website of the NBA.