Mar 10, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) comes up with a rebound against Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (3) and center Jonas Valanciunas (17) during the second half at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto defeated Cleveland 100-96. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

It was a tale of two halves for the Cleveland Cavaliers Sunday night as they fell to the Toronto Raptors, 100-96. The Cavs had 55 points in the first half on 54 percent shooting from the field but only managed to score 41 for the rest of the game.

All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving suffered a shoulder injury in the third quarter after colliding with Raptors forward Jonas Valanciunas. Irving shot two one-handed free throws then went into the locker room with team trainers – he did not return. Irving finished with 12 points and four assists in 25 minutes. Rudy Gay was a late scratch for the Raptors as the team declared him out with back spasms.

These types of games are a reoccurring theme for the Cavs; they play a solid first two quarters and have the lead heading into half, but then they don’t come out with the same intensity in the third quarter. The defense held the Raptors to under 40 percent shooting, however, they allowed the Raptors to score 33 points in the third quarter.

The Cavs didn’t have an answer for Raptors forward Amir Johnson, who scored 17 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. Point guard Kyle Lowry had 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists. It was Lowry’s devastating turnaround jumper with less than 15 seconds left that gave the Raptors a two-possession lead, pushing the game out of reach for the Cavs.

Over the last 10 games Tristan Thompson is averaging 14 points and 10 rebounds. They have been able to rely on him getting a double-double every game, and tonight he had a quiet 11 points and 10 rebounds.

The Cavs had another pleasing performance from their bench, which was led by C.J. Miles. Miles finished the game with 15 and lit the nets up in the first half, hitting three after three. Marreese Speights had 11 points in only 16 minutes of play.

Last time in Toronto it was Irving who took over in the fourth quarter and would eventually hit a game-wining three with less than a second left on the clock. However, when Irving went down in the third quarter, Dion Waiters took over the point guard role. Waiters fought to the very end but wasn’t able to close the game. He finished with 21 points, 13 of which came in the fourth quarter.

Aside from Thompson, the Cavs’ front line, consisting of Tyler Zeller and Alonzo Gee, was virtually invisible. The duo shot 4-of-13 from the field and combined for 12 points.

Tonight was only Toronto’s second win in eight games.

Cleveland plays again on Tuesday as they come back home to Quicken Loans Arena to take on the Washington Wizards. The Wizards are rebuilding just as the Cavs are and have a talented roster but can’t seem to get their games to result in more wins. The Cavs won both meetings this year against Washington and have held them to under 85 points in both games. Irving’s status for the game is unknown. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Dec 18, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Tristan Thompson (13) drives against Toronto Raptors power forward Ed Davis (32) at Quicken Loans Arena. Toronto won 113-99. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

With Kyrie Irving out another game, the Cleveland Cavaliers (19-38) will look for points to be generated in another way. Last night Shaun Livingston was inserted into the starting lineup, and it was the combination of him and Dion Waiters running the offense. The backcourt combined for 40 points in last night’s road win against the Chicago Bulls.

Opponents Blog: Raptors Rapture

Venue: Quicken Loans Arena

Tipoff: Wednesday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m.

Betting Line: Raptors by -4.5

Where you can watch: Fox Sports Ohio

Where you can listen: WTAM (1100 AM), WFUN (970 AM)

After their end of January trade with the Memphis Grizzlies, the Toronto Raptors are 7-4 with Rudy Gay in the starting lineup. Gay has averaged 20.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists since he has been with the Raptors. This deal was definitely a good trade for the team, but it leaves some wondering with the combination of Gay, DeMar DeRozan and rookie Slam Dunk contest winner Terrence Ross can co-exist together on the game roster. So far, DeRozan and Gay have played well together, but Ross has found himself getting added minutes on the bench since Gay arrived.

The Cavaliers won the last time these two teams met. It was a game where Irving had one of those “Kyrie-freaking-Irving” moments. With the Cavs down two, Kyrie received the inbounds pass with 12 seconds left. Head coach Byron Scott drew up a play in the timeout, but it didn’t matter – Irving already knew what he was going to do. He dribbled the ball between his legs so slowly over the timeline into the frontcourt and stared Raptors guard Alan Anderson in the eye before pulling up three feet behind the three-point line and drilling the game winner with 0.7 seconds remaining.

Unfortunately, this is unlikely to happen again for the Cavs due to Irving’s status for tonight’s game.

Waiters continued his hot-shooting month last night, scoring 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting. In the last game against Toronto, Waiters only scored 6 points on 3-of-10 shooting. Like last night, if the Cavs want any chance of winning, Waiters must perform well.

The Raptors last played Monday when they lost to the Washington Wizards. Toronto struggled scoring and shot 36.7 percent from the field and 26.3 percent from three.

Jan 19, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Memphis Grizzlies small forward Rudy Gay (22) is defended by Chicago Bulls small forward Jimmy Butler (21) during the second half at the United Center. The Grizzlies won 85-82 in OT. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

The Memphis Grizzlies, a team that the Cleveland Cavaliers just got done dealing with, have made another move. This time around, however, the assets involved in the trade were more prominent of names than Marreese Speights, Wayne Ellington, Josh Selby and Jon Leuer. Rumors that were said to have gone to their resting place became resurrected on Wednesday when the Grizzlies conducted a three-team trade with the Toronto Raptors and the Detroit Pistons. Rudy Gay, a very talented player that Memphis had been looking to move due to his $37 million contract over the next two seasons, has finally been moved despite trade talks simmering down according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

The trade requires three big-name players in Gay, Jose Calderon and Tayshaun Prince, but there is much more to the deal. Below you can see which players/assets each team received:

Grizzlies:

-Received Tayshaun Prince, Austin Daye, Ed Davis and a second-round pick from the Raptors

-Sent: Rudy Gay and Hamed Haddadi

Raptors:

-Received Rudy Gay and Hamed Haddadi

-Sent Jose Calderon, Ed Davis and a second-round pick

Pistons:

-Received Jose Calderon

-Sent Tayshaun Prince and Austin Daye

This trade affects the Wine and Gold in such a way that the Pistons are Central Division rivals with the Cavs. Calderon will be a free agent in the summer, so whether or not the Pistons pick him up after the season is over is unknown. Calderon is a point guard who is known for giving Kyrie Irving troubles, and is currently averaging 11.1 points and 7.4 assists with a PER of 19.4. Prince has two years left on his contract and is owed $14.9 million over the next two seasons, while Daye will become a restricted free agent in 2013. The Pistons lose their starting small forward and a backup in Daye, but now have an interesting point guard tandem of Brandon Knight and Calderon.

The Cavaliers will be matching up with the Pistons two more times this season, and the first of those two meetings will happen on Friday. It is still unknown if Calderon will be available for the game, as the trade has only been agreed to in principle.

It will be a very different situation for Prince, as he has spent all 11 of his seasons with the Pistons. That includes seven playoff appearances and one championship in 2004. Prince is currently averaging 11.7 points and 4.6 rebounds, while shooting 43.4 percent from three. Detroit saves a lot in this deal, as it moves them $25 million under the salary cap beginning this July.

As for the Grizzlies, they were a team with the highest championship implications in the franchise’s 17-season history. Gay was without a doubt a pivotal part to the team’s success so far this season, but the team needed to look forward to the bad contract they would have to assume if they kept him past this season. However, I do think this move puts this team at more of a disadvantage to win in the playoffs this season. Davis is a better frontcourt member than Speights and Haddadi combined, so that move is a major win for the Grizzlies.