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Toronto Raptors hold off Cleveland Cavaliers, even East finals at 2-2

By Larry Millson, The Sports Xchange

TORONTO -- The Eastern Conference final has turned into a homer's series.

After dominating the first two games at home, the Cleveland Cavaliers found the Toronto Raptors to be a lot more difficult to play in enemy territory.

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As a result, the Cavaliers lost their first two games of the playoffs and found themselves in a 2-2 series tie after the Raptors used 35 points from Kyle Lowry and 32 by DeMar DeRozan to win Game 4 105-99 on Monday night.

"I don't know, I guess it's the home-court advantage," Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said. "They have a great home crowd. We have a great home crowd. That crowd gives them energy, just like our crowd gives us energy. Just got to be ready to go back home for Game 5."

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Raptors coach Dwane Casey thought his team also figured things out a little better for the two home games.

"I think just understanding where we could get shots," he said. "How we could get stops. I thought we protected the paint better. This team is a great scoring team, so I think that you've got to have balance of what you want to take away and you've got to pick your poison."

In winning their second consecutive game, the Raptors led by as many as 18 points during the second quarter and were ahead by 16 at halftime. However, the Cavaliers trimmed the lead to one early in the fourth quarter.

The teams swapped one-point leads in the fourth quarter with the Cavaliers leading by three points briefly with 6:04 to play on two free throws by LeBron James, but when Lowry made a driving layup with 22.5 seconds to play, the Raptors led by six points.

The Raptors stopped the Cavaliers on their next possession.

Bismack Biyombo, who finished with five points and 14 rebounds, missed two free throws with 4.3 seconds left, but it made no difference.

DeMarre Carroll added 11 points for Toronto.

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"They played well the first two games and they protected home," Lowry said. "Now we've protected home."

James led Cleveland with 29 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and Kyrie Irving added 26 points. Channing Frye scored 12 points off the bench going 4-for-8 in 3-point attempts and Kevin Love chipped in 10 for the Cavaliers.

"We got off to a horrible first half and we were playing catch up," James said. "We had a chance to win the ballgame but we can't dig ourselves a hole like we did in the first half."

"We were solid down the stretch, understanding that when they scored we had to come down and get a bucket" DeRozan said.

The Cavs only went to the free throw line twice in the second half, finishing 8-for-9. The Raptors were 14-for-19 at the line in the second half after making none in the first.

The Raptors led 27-24 after the first quarter and were ahead by 13 with 4:35 to play in the second quarter after a Patrick Patterson layup on a pass from Lowry, whose 3-pointer on the Raptors' next possession boosted the lead to 16.

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Lowry's step-back jumper with 31.9 seconds to play in the half gave Toronto a 57-41 lead at the intermission.

DeRozan opened the scoring in the third, and Toronto led by 18 again.

Irving made two 3s and J.R Smith made one to cut the margin to seven with just under nine minutes left in the quarter.

The Raptors led 78-69 after three.

The Cavs scored the first five points of the fourth. The lead was down to one with 10:15 to play when Frye made his second straight 3.

James gave the Cavaliers a brief one-point lead, but the teams exchanged hoops in the middle minutes of the quarter.

Richard Jefferson's dunk with 6:24 left and two James free throws 20 seconds later put Cleveland up 92-89. Lowry made a layup and converted the free throw to tie it.

With 2:43 left, Lowry made one of two free throws for a four-point Toronto lead. Biyombo sank one of his two with 2:22 left, and the Raptors led by five.

Irving hit a 3 with two minutes to play, trimming the lead to two. DeRozan's short jumper got the lead up to four.

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NOTES: Raptors C Jonas Valanciunas, who has not played since being injured in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal against the Miami Heat due to a sprained right ankle, was activated Monday but did not play. ... Cavaliers G Dahntay Jones did not play in Game 4 because he was serving a one-game suspension for his hit to the groin of Raptors C Bismack Biyombo at the end of Game 3, which Toronto won 99-84. Jones said it was unintentional. ... Raptors coach Dwane Casey was fined $25,000 for his criticism of the game officials after Game 3 in which the Cavaliers lost for the first time this postseason. The Cavs won their first 10 playoff games. ... The 26 rebounds recorded by Biyombo in Game 3 was not only a Raptors' team playoff record but also was a team best, including the regular season. ... Game 5 is Wednesday in Cleveland.

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