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Here are the player grades from the Cleveland Cavaliers 112-106 win over the Toronto Raptors:
Jose Calderon: A+
Calderon outplayed Kyle Lowry for the second straight meeting. I don’t know if you can count on that in a series, but it was fun to write.
LeBron James: A
When it comes to beating the Toronto Raptors, LeBron is the key to everything. He knows their defensive schemes, and he knows how to exploit them. He had five turnovers to his si assists, but he got where he wanted at will throughout the night.
Kevin Love: A
The other player the Raptors simply do not have an answer for is Kevin Love. He put up 18 points and 15 rebounds in a seemingly effortless game for him. Considering he was questionable to play with an illness, this was a surprisingly great performance.
Rodney Hood: A
Don’t look now, but Hood has been finding his groove with the starters. He has been rewarded with more play-making opportunities and that seems to have breathed new life into his game.
Jeff Green: A-
Green was awful to start the game, but ended up putting together a very effective night against the Raptors. His defense on DeMar DeRozan was very solid, and he even knocked down two three pointers. I don’t think he should continue starting, but games like this will keep him in the rotation.
Larry Nance Jr.: B
I would have liked to see more minutes from Nance against Jonas Valanciunas to test the Raptors pick and roll defense. But he didn’t really get much of an opportunity in this one.
Kyle Korver: B
Korver had a quiet night in his first game back, but still drew a considerable amount of attention when he was on the floor.
J.R. Smith: B-
Not the most memorable game from Smith. He didn’t do a whole lot of good or bad, and fly under the radar during his 25 minutes off the bench.
Jordan Clarkson: C+
The only Cavs player that had a noticeably bad game, Clarkson struggled again against Toronto’s strong bench lineups. When facing a good defensive team like Toronto, Clarkson may benefit from playing alongside another point guard to help calm him down.