TORONTO – The Cleveland Cavaliers raced to an early lead and never looked back in a 131-108 blowout win over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.
Cleveland’s balanced scoring attack was headed by all star Donovan Mitchell, who had 21 points. Big men Evan Mobley (12 points, 15 rebounds) and Jarrett Allen (13 points, 10 rebounds) each contributed double-doubles.
RJ Barrett, in his first game back after missing four due to concussion protocol, paced the Raptors with 27 points to go with four rebounds and four assists. Scottie Barnes added 16 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
It was the final contest for both teams before all star festivities begin Friday at the Golden State Warriors’ Chase Center in San Francisco.
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The game quickly became out of reach for the Raptors, who finished a three-game road trip with a victory in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
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Cleveland, which has now won four straight games, led 41-17 after one quarter and extended its advantage to 68-43 at halftime. The Eastern Conference-leading Cavs then pushed their lead to a game-high 39 points during the third quarter.
The Raptors wore jerseys commemorating the 25th anniversary of Vince Carter’s iconic dunk contest win.
Takeaways
Raptors: Brandon Ingram remains sidelined with a left ankle sprain, but made his first appearance in Toronto as a Raptor. The 27-year-old forward, who was acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans at last week’s trade deadline, was introduced with a pre-game press conference and welcomed by an ovation from the fans in the third quarter.
Cavaliers: Cleveland can claim three all-star players, but its depth shone through early against the Raptors. Max Strus, Sam Merrill and Jaylon Tyson were the only Cavaliers to hit three-pointers in the first half as the rest of the team missed 12 of attempts.
Key moment
The game began conspicuously for the Raptors when Barnes was handed a technical foul on the first possession after arguing an out-of-bounds call. Mitchell converted the free throw, Strus added a three-pointer and Toronto was down 4-0 before ever touching the ball.
Key stat
The Cavaliers completed a four-game season sweep of the Raptors.
Up next
The Raptors’ only representative in San Francisco will be Gradey Dick in the Rising Stars Game, while Cleveland’s Mitchell, Mobley and Darius Garland were all selected to the all-star game with head coach Kenny Atkinson.
Toronto returns to action Feb. 21 at home against the Miami Heat. Cleveland is back on the road against the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 20.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 12, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
