Kyle Lowry drops career-high 43 points as Raptors shock Cavaliers

Teams usually don't get up for seemingly meaningless regular-season games in February, but for a Toronto Raptors team striving for respect near the top of the Eastern Conference, their matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night was a chance to further put themselves on the map against one of the NBA's elite.

In what may very well be the performance of his career, Raptors All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry was nothing short of sensational, scoring a career-best 43 points as Toronto (39-18) came from behind to shock the Cavaliers (41-16), 99-97 at the Air Canada Centre.

Lowry, who played every minute in the second half, connected on 15-of-20 from the field, 2-of-5 from 3-point range, and 11-of-15 from the charity stripe, scoring more than twice as many points as his fellow starters combined (19). He also dished out nine assists, grabbed five rebounds, and stole the ball on four occasions in 42 minutes of action.

The Villanova product drilled the most important shot of the game with 3.8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, nailing a jumper over an outstretched Matthew Dellavedova to give his side the two-point lead after trailing by as many as 14.

VIDEO: Lowry sinks Cavs with game-winning step-back

Cleveland had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but LeBron James' (25 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists) potential game-winner fell well short of hitting the mark.

VIDEO: LeBron air-balls potential game-winner vs. Raptors

The Raptors needed every one of Lowry's 43 points on this night, with fellow All-Star DeMar DeRozan battling flu-like symptoms, which certainly played a part in him missing 10 of his 11 shots.

The win gives Toronto the all-important tiebreaker at the end of the season should they be locked with the Cavaliers in the standings, while also cutting Cleveland's lead atop the East to just two games. The Raptors win the season series, 2-1.