DeMar DeRozan was a human life-preserver for the Raptors in Game 3 against Cleveland. With Kyle Lowry unable to play on a wobbly ankle, the onus fell on DeRozan to become the team’s primary catalyst — a role he became used to during Lowry’s late-season absence.
For stretches on Friday night, DeRozan was the entirety of the Raptors’ attack. In the face of an overwhelming talent disparity and another one of those games where LeBron James achieves greatness without sweat, DeRozan was almost single-handedly responsible for the Raptors staving off the inevitable Cleveland death knell as long as they did.