Getty LeBron James shoots as Jonas Valanciunas defends during the Cavs' Game 1 win.
The Cavaliers didn’t hold the lead for a single second of regulation Tuesday night against the Raptors. But after a riveting 113-112 overtime win, Cleveland has a chance to take a 2-0 series lead when the teams square off again tonight in Toronto.
The game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can watch a Cavs Raptors live stream on your computer, phone or streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
How to Watch Cavs vs. Raptors Game 2 Online Without Cable
Hulu With Live TV: In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu now also offers a bundle of live TV channels, including ESPN. You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app.
DirecTV Now: ESPN is included in all four of DirecTV Now’s channel packages. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial no matter what package you choose, and you can then watch the game live on your computer via the DirecTV Now website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the DirecTV Now app.
WatchESPN: You can also watch the game on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the WatchESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider in order to watch these streams, but if you don’t have that, you can sign up for one of the above options and then use your Hulu or DirecTV Now credentials to sign in and watch on ESPN’s platforms.
Cavs vs. Raptors Game 2 Preview
Cleveland has eliminated Toronto from the postseason in each of the past two years. A win Thursday would be a huge step for LeBron and Co. toward continuing that trend. Though James has carried Cleveland throughout the regular season and in the Cavs’ opening-round victory over Indiana, his teammates picked him up Tuesday, when he had what he called “probably one of my worst games of the season.”
James, who told reporters he was “burnt” after Game 7 of the grueling Indiana series, shot 12-for-30 from the floor Tuesday night and 1-for-8 from 3-point range. His struggles were a main reason Toronto led for almost the entirety of regulation, and had a 10-point lead as late as the fourth quarter. But he’s one of the few players on the planet who can have an awful game by his standards and still end up with a triple-double — something he did in Game 1, when he finished with 26 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds. It was his 21st career postseason triple double.
As has been the case throughout his career, James has logged a ton of minutes this postseason — a trend that continued when he played a game-high 47 minutes in Game 1. James has played in the NBA Finals every single year since 2011, and he’s shown few signs that his game is deteriorating. In fact, on the contrary, the Indiana series was one of the best he’d ever played. Still, even James may be prone to fatigue following a seven-game Round 1 slugfest and a down-to-the-wire overtime game to start the Toronto series.
Fortunately for Cleveland, James got more help from his teammates in Game 1 than he’s accustomed to. JR Smith scored 20 points on 5-for-6 3-point shooting in Game 1. Jeff Green didn’t miss a shot from the field and finished with 16 points off the bench. Perhaps most interestingly, Tristan Thompson — who’d been invisible throughout the Indiana series after he was accused of cheating on Khloe Kardashian — had his second straight double-double, finishing with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
The Cavs, who entered the series as slight underdogs, are now slight favorites. They’ll be heavy favorites to advance to the conference finals if they win tonight.
