Once counted out, Raptors even series with heavily favored Cavs

Kyle Lowry scored 35 points, including a driving layup in the final minute, and DeMar DeRozan had 32 as the Raptors evened the Eastern Conference Finals by beating Cleveland 105-99 in Game 4 on Monday night.

DeMarre Carroll scored 11 points and Bismack Biyombo had 14 rebounds as Toronto improved to 8-2 at home this postseason and got back on level terms after big losses in Games 1 and 2.

After a 10-0 start to this postseason, the Cavaliers are counting on home-court advantage to help them reach their second straight Finals.

The Raptors led 78-69 to begin the fourth but Frye made consecutive three-pointers as Cleveland opened the final quarter with an 8-0 run, cutting it to 78-77.

Frye’s errant three-point attempt at 4:12 was Cleveland’s first miss of the fourth.

Toronto got the ball back after Biyombo blocked J.R. Smith’s three, and Biyombo kept the possession alive by rebounding Lowry’s missed shot.

After a timeout, Lowry let the shot clock wind down before hitting the clinching layup, making it 105-99 with 22 seconds to go.

“We had a few defensive breakdowns that you can’t have down the stretch of a game, especially in the playoffs,” Cleveland head coach Tyronn Lue said.

Lowry scored 15 points in the second, making three of Toronto’s four three-pointers, as the Raptors opened a 57-41 halftime lead despite not shooting a free throw in the first two quarters.