LeBron James and DeMar DeRozan are typically the headliners for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors. Friday night's matchup in Toronto, however, might be more noteworthy for its matchup between two of the NBA's top point guards.
Kyrie Irving leads Cleveland against Kyle Lowry and Toronto in a potential Eastern Conference final preview.
James leads the Cavaliers (10-7) with 24.6 points per game while Irving ranks second with 22.4. Irving, however, is averaging 29.7 points and shooting 62.0 percent in the last three of Cleveland's five straight victories.
He scored a season-high 37 points and was 12 of 18 from the floor, capped by a tear-drop layup with 10 seconds left in Thursday's 90-87 win at New York.
"Spectacular," said James, who had 19 points and 12 assists. "Any time we needed a bucket, he made it. Any time we needed some energy, he gave it."
While James is still averaging 22.8 points over his last six games, he's also facilitating more with 9.7 assists per game in that span. His 7.6 season average is his second-highest behind his 8.6 assists per game in 2009-10.
With DeRozan missing three straight games due to a torn left abductor tendon, Lowry has asserted himself for Toronto (15-4). Already averaging a career-high 18.1 points prior to Friday's loss to Dallas when DeRozan was injured, Lowry has averaged 30.0 points in the last four contests. DeRozan, who is still out indefinitely, had been leading the team with 19.4 points per game.
Lowry scored a career-high 39 points in Wednesday's 123-104 win at Utah, going 13 for 22. He has taken 21-plus shots in each of the last four games after doing so five times in 521 previous career games.
"I know I got to score a little bit more and be more aggressive," he said. "I could do it with DeMar (healthy), but as a point guard, I like to get my teammates involved. Right now, I got to be a little bit more assertive."
Toronto shot 45 of 79 (57.0 percent) and has averaged 122.0 points on 52.6 percent shooting over its last three victories.
The Raptors were held to 40.0 percent shooting in a 110-93 win at Cleveland on Nov. 22 - their fourth victory in five meetings - but scored 22 points off 18 turnovers while committing only eight.
Lowry had 23 points while Lou Williams scored a career-high 36 off the bench while going 8 of 15 from 3-point range. DeRozan added 20 points.
Irving had 21 points for the Cavaliers, who were led by Kevin Love's 23 points. James had 15 points and 10 assists, though he's averaging 28.0 points on 60.2 percent shooting in his last five trips to Toronto.
The Cavaliers have held five opponents since that loss to 90.6 points per game on 42.6 percent shooting. They had allowed 102.7 points per game and a 47.7 field-goal percentage while starting 5-7 to rank among the league's worst in both categories.
Cleveland's Mike Miller remained in New York overnight with concussion-like symptoms after leaving Thursday's game with 2:28 left.
The Raptors are looking for a third straight home victory in the series for the first time since a seven-game winning streak over the Cavaliers in Toronto from May 5, 1999-April 17, 2002.
