5 Things that Shocked Me as the Toronto Raptors played the Cleveland Cavaliers
Thursday Night Trap Game, anyone? The Raptors gave the Cavaliers a tough time tonight despite the disparity in wins between the two teams.
As the Toronto Raptors headed into Cleveland today for a game against the Cavaliers... expectations were low. The 8-29 Raptors lost against the Knicks in New York just last night, and the Cavaliers are the best offence in the NBA. They dominate the top of the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 32-4. The Cavs also won a huge game against OKC last night, so confidence was nice and high.
Yet, with both teams on the second night of a back to back, anything can happen. In what turned out to be a really surprising game on both sides, I decided to encapsulate the night by breaking down FIVE things about the game that shocked me:
Chris Boucher had himself a GAME
The Canadian Raptor has been in and out of the rotation this season and last. Which is somewhat surprising given he has the ability to make the most of the minutes he does get. He went on a three point scoring tear tonight, along with achieving a double double. In the end, Boucher ended the game with 23 points, 13 rebounds.
Boucher was also +15 on the floor and made 5-8 of his three point shots.
Kelly Olynyk has beef with Cleveland
Did you hear the boos every time Olynyk touched the ball? If you weren’t watching (fair), the fans in Cleveland were loud with their distaste whenever Kelly Olynyk got the ball. Turns out this is a decade-old tradition of the fans in Ohio being mad at the Canadian. In the 2015 NBA playoffs, Olynyk had an on-court altercation with Kevin Love, who played for the Cavaliers at the time. Love’s shoulder was injured in the event, and fans still hold it against Olynyk, apparently. Talk about a grudge.
Scottie ISN’T the fastest Raptor to score 4000 points
Tonight marked a milestone for the Toronto Raptors’ star. When Scottie reached 10 points on the night, he officially surpassed 4000 total career points. In his 4th season in the NBA since the Raptors drafted him 4th overall, Scottie has progressed into the All-Star and focal point he is today. Yet, he isn’t the fastest Raptor to score 4000 points. Scottie now shares the 2nd place spot with Chris Bosh, as both guys managed the achievement in 236 games.
The top spot of course goes to Vince Carter, who managed to score his first 4000 points in just 167 games.
The 2025 Raptors are capable of a trap game
When the Cavaliers’ head coach speculated on the idea that this could be a trap game in his pre-game availability, I said “no way.” I was truly convinced this team couldn’t even threat a trap game against the best offence in the league, even missing Donovan Mitchell. Even on the 2nd night of a back to back. Still, the Raptors proved me wrong, I’ll admit it.
A “trap game” is when a team with a lower record (the Raptors, here) comes into a game against a higher ranked team (Cleveland) and wins the game despite the odds. This can happen for a variety of reasons, like when teams rest players against lottery teams (the Cavs pulled Mitchell tonight), or when a player has a big night (Boucher). It’s not overly shocking given both teams are on the 2nd night of a back to back.
Still, I was surprised when the Raptors led for most of the game.
Not as shocking... the Raptors couldn’t close
Even in their best games of the season, the Toronto Raptors struggle to play a full 48 minutes of cohesive basketball. That was the case tonight as the Raptors lost in Cleveland despite leading for most of the game. The score was 132-126 at the final buzzer.
The Cavs were able to get a few stops to end the game, paired with a crumble of on-court communication from Toronto, and that led to Cleveland stretching the lead.
When the word “trap game” started to get thrown around, I was intrigued. Yet, maybe it isn’t too shocking that the best offence in the NBA was able to come back, get a lead, and stretch it at the perfect time to win.
The Raptors will now head to Detroit to play the Pistons on Saturday before returning home to play Golden State on Monday.