CLEVELAND: Channing Frye referred to the 3-point arc this week as Frye-land, that place opposing centers don’t like to visit. He took the Raptors to Frye-land again Tuesday in time for the Cavs to escape with a 121-117 victory.
Frye’s 3-pointer from the top of the arc in the final minute was the difference after the Cavs blew a seven-point lead at the start of the fourth. Frye has made 11 3-pointers in his past two games and the Cavs handed the Raptors their first road loss of the season. They also improved to 2-0 against the Raptors already this season, something that could become important closer to the end of the season when home-court advantage is at stake.
With Oscar Robertson watching from close to the Cavs bench, LeBron James fell one rebound shy of a triple-double with 28 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds. He had six assists in the fourth quarter alone. Kevin Love scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and Kyrie Irving scored 24 points. Frye scored 21 points off the bench.
The Cavs led 91-84 entering the fourth, but the reserves plus James couldn’t hold it. The Raptors had the lead within the first five minutes, prompting Cavs coach Tyronn Lue to go back to Irving and Love with the Cavs trailing 107-101.
Irving quickly flipped that. His cutting basket off a nifty pass from James, followed by his corner 3-pointer gave the Cavs a 113-112 lead with 1:57 remaining.
James later threw an errant pass to Love and Lowry was called for a foul even though it appeared he never really touched Love. An incensed Lowry and Raptors coach Dwane Casey both argued and Lowry was assessed a technical, although the Cavs failed to take advantage. Irving missed the technical free throw and Love split his to leave the game tied at 114-114.
After DeMar DeRozan split two free throws at the other end, James found Frye at the top of the arc for his fifth 3-pointer of the night. The Cavs made 13 3-pointers in the game, meaning they have made at least 10 3-pointers in each of their first 10 games, an NBA record.
“They’re shooting as many 3s as anybody in the league right now,” Casey said. “If a team is making 22 or 25 3s, you’re going to have a hard night.”
DeRozan and Lowry each scored 26 points, just the second time in 10 games DeRozan failed to score at least 30. He began the night leading the league in scoring at 34 points per game.
“He’s a great mid-range shooter,” Lue said of DeRozan. “It’s really a bad shot, but he’s shooting a high clip from mid-range. That’s what he does. I really commend him on getting to a spot — a lot like [Dwyane] Wade was early in his career. He didn’t take a lot of 3s. He got to his spot, raised up and shot his shot. That’s what DeRozan is doing.”
Jason Lloyd can be reached at jlloyd@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Cavs blog at www.ohio.com/cavs. Follow him on Twitter www.twitter.com/JasonLloydABJ.