And this is without Chris Bosh.

With Chris Bosh nursing his plantar fascia, the short-handed Raptors faced off against a Cavs team that was without Shaq.  LBJ and the Cavs were put to a serious test on the second half of  back to back by Hedo Turkoglu and the Toronto Raptors. Despite LBJ’s 36 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists, the short-handed Raptors were able to force the game to the extra frame.

Reggie Evans electrified fans with his solid play, and actually led the team in rebounds with 5, he also got to the line 9 times, and finished the game with a solid 13 points.

Andrea Bargnani had 24 points to go with 4 rebounds and Jarret Jack, who has continued his stellar play as of late contributed 24 points as well.

There will not be many times when three Raptors take double-digits shots, hit over 50% and the Raptors still lose; but playing against LBJ, it becomes a plausible possibility.

Hedo Turkoglu once again showed why he is indeed an invaluable piece in the Raptors big picture, as thanks to spirited efforts from both himself and Reggie Evans, the Raptors were able to go punch for punch in a prize fight with the leagues best.

The Raptors square off against the exciting and rolling Thunder led by 21 year old phenom Kevin ‘Durantula’ Durant on Sunday. With Bosh not expected to play, the Thunder should take this one on their homecourt rather easily. It should be a good game and is one to watch.