DeRozan sits 4th quarter in Raptors' Game 3 loss: 'It was extremely hard'

As the Toronto Raptors put forth a valiant effort in overcoming a 14-point deficit to lock the score late with the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3, All-Star guard DeMar DeRozan found himself planted on the bench, watching his teammates claw their way back in the fourth quarter.

DeRozan exited with 2:16 remaining in the third and never saw the floor again. He finished with just eight points on 3-of-12 shooting in 28 minutes, with the Raptors outscored by 23 points when he played. No other player on the roster was worse than a minus-6.

"It was extremely hard," said DeRozan following Toronto's 105-103 loss at Quicken Loans Arena, according to TSN's Josh Lewenberg. "Extremely hard. I never want to be over there watching, especially the competitor I am. I just want to be out there helping my team way more than anything. So it definitely sucks to be watching."

Raptors head coach Dwane Casey ran with a five-man lineup of Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, Serge Ibaka, OG Anunoby, and C.J. Miles for the better part of the frame. That group shot 72.2 percent from the field and drilled 7-of-11 from 3-point range in the fourth, outscoring the Cavaliers 38-26.

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"In the moment, it definitely sucks," added DeRozan. "On top of us losing, you never want to have a s----- game like that."

The 28-year-old doesn't believe it was Cleveland's defense throwing anything new at him that caused his cold shooting, as he felt he was getting some reasonable looks at the basket.

"They felt good, just didn't go in. Just one of them nights," he said.

No team in history has ever overcome a 3-0 series deficit, but that won't stop the Raptors from trying when they look to avoid the sweep on Monday in Game 4.