Darius Garland scored 40 points on 14-of-24 shooting, helping the Cleveland Cavaliers narrowly avoid an upset with a 132-126 win over the visiting Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.
The Cavaliers, who trailed by 12 points in the third quarter, extended their winning streak to 12 games while handing the Raptors their fourth loss in a row.
Cleveland’s Evan Mobley scored 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting in addition to grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out six assists. Jarrett Allen chipped in 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting and grabbed a team-high 15 rebounds, while Caris LeVert also had 18 points.
Chris Boucher led the Raptors with 23 points off the bench, hitting 5 of 6 from 3-point range, and pulled down nine rebounds. RJ Barrett added 18 points, and Scottie Barnes had 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
Garland delivered the clincher with 39.6 seconds remaining, burying an isolated step-back 3-pointer to give the Cavaliers a 129-124 lead. The bucket came directly after Allen made an outstanding hustle play to regain possession for Cleveland, preventing Toronto from getting a second opportunity to tie the game.
LeVert converted from mid-range to put the Cavaliers ahead 111-109 with 8:45 remaining in the game, their first lead of the second half. Max Strus put the Cavaliers ahead for good at 119-117 by burying a 3-pointer with 5:21 to go.
Boucher scored five straight points to give the Raptors an 89-78 lead with 5:27 left in the third quarter, capping a 10-0 run for Toronto. The lead soon grew to 93-81.
The Raptors shot 76 percent (19 of 25) from the field in the third quarter, but the Cavaliers minimized the damage with a hot-handed third quarter of their own. Cleveland made 14 of its 21 field-goal attempts in the frame, 67 percent.
Toronto outscored Cleveland 42-37 in the third quarter and took a 103-98 lead into the fourth.
The Cavaliers shot 47 of 89 (52.8 percent) from the field overall, making 18 of 45 attempts (40 percent) from long range. Cleveland outrebounded Toronto 42-37. The Raptors made 53 of their 89 field-goal attempts (59.6 percent) from the field overall, including 14 of 31 attempts (45.2 percent) from beyond the arc.
–Field Level Media
