CLEVELAND — In a thrilling matchup, Darius Garland exploded for a personal best of 40 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers triumphed over the Toronto Raptors with a score of 132-126 on Thursday evening. This victory marks the Cavaliers’ twelfth consecutive win, solidifying their position at the top of the NBA standings. Jarrett Allen contributed significantly with 18 points alongside a remarkable 15 rebounds, while Evan Mobley also made his mark with a solid performance, recording 21 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists. The Cavaliers are now boasting an impressive 33-4 record through 37 games, tying them for the fifth-best start in league history. They also enjoy the best home performance in the NBA, with an outstanding record of 20-1 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
For the Raptors, Scottie Barnes led the efforts with 24 points to go along with 10 rebounds and eight assists. Despite this, Toronto continues to struggle on the road, holding the league’s worst record at 1-17, and has suffered 15 defeats in their last 16 games. Chris Boucher played a pivotal role as well, coming off the bench to add 23 points and 12 rebounds.
Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell was rested for this game after logging a team-high 35 minutes in the previous night’s 129-122 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team that had just seen a franchise-record winning streak of 15 games come to an end.
In terms of highlights from the game, Boucher and rookie Jamal Shead showcased impressive shooting early on, making 12 of their first 13 attempts, including hitting all eight of their three-point attempts, allowing Toronto to gain a substantial 93-81 lead midway through the third quarter. However, Shead did not see action in the fourth and concluded the game with 15 points.
Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson described the game as a “perfect trap game,” indicating that the players did not fully grasp the urgency until the fourth quarter. At that point, Cleveland kicked their performance up a notch, outscoring the Raptors 34-23 to secure the win.
One pivotal play came in the final moments when Allen dove into the courtside seats to retrieve Barnes’ missed shot attempt that could have tied the game, just 1:02 from the finish. Following this play, Garland hit a critical three-pointer that pushed the Cavaliers ahead to a 129-124 advantage.
In a noteworthy stat, both Allen and Mobley were highly efficient, making 15 of their 20 field goal attempts, further strengthening their cases for selection to the Eastern Conference All-Star team.
Looking ahead, the Raptors will travel to Detroit for their next game on Saturday, while the Cavaliers will host the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.
