The Toronto Raptors face the Cleveland Cavaliers, winners of eight straight on Saturday night.
An opportunity for a rebuilding Toronto team to potentially upset an upper echelon team in the Eastern Conference. However, Donovan Mitchell has this team clicking at a high level right now.
Cleveland is coming off a 118-95 win against the Brooklyn Nets as the Raptors are the final stop on their three-game road trip.
The last time these two teams met was back on New Year’s Day, where the new look Raptors won, 124-121. This was RJ Barrett’s and Immanuel Quickley’s debuts with the squad.
However, the Cavaliers are now healthy with Darius Garland and Evan Mobley returning from their respective absences. Which will make this third and final matchup harder this time around.
For Toronto, Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji are expected to make their debuts tonight. The Raptors acquired them at Thursday’s deadline for Kira Lewis, Otto Porter Jr. and a 2024 first-round pick.
It will be intriguing to see how these two fit in the mix of a young Raptors team led by Scottie Barnes. Olynyk returns back to his home country of Canada. He will provide some much needed three-point shooting, while Agbaji will provide some solid perimeter defense.
This is the second night of a home back-to-back for the Raptors, which could result in back-to-back impressive wins. While winning is not at the forefront right now, it is about this young team coming together and forming chemistry.
Barrett (knee swelling) is questionable for the Raptors tonight. Meanwhile, Tristian Thompson (suspension) and Ty Jerome (ankle surgery) are out for the Cavaliers.
Cleveland Cavaliers (34-16) vs. Toronto Raptors (19-33)
7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, February 10, 2024
Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario
TV: Sportsnet
Projected Cavaliers Starting Lineup:
PG: Darius Garland
SG: Donovan Mitchell
SF: Max Strus
PF: Evan Mobley
C: Jarrett Allen
Key Reserves: Caris LeVert, Issac Okoro, Georges Niang
Projected Raptors Starting Lineup:
PG: Immanuel Quickley
SG: Gary Trent Jr.
SF: R.J. Barrett
PF: Scottie Barnes
C: Jakob Poeltl
Key Reserves: Kelly Olynyk, Ochai Agbaji, Bruce Brown
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