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Final Score: Cleveland Cavaliers 126 - Toronto Raptors 101
The Raptors are a significantly better team than the Cavaliers but had an off-night as the Cavs won by an impressive 25 points. The Cavaliers took advantage of the Raptors' bad night and got their 17th win of the season, the third worst record of the NBA.
This was an interesting game on both sides. The Raptors' largest lead was two points, while The Cavaliers' largest lead was 27. Kawhi Leonard had 25 points, but the rest of the Raptors were relatively quiet. The only other Raptors to score in double figures were Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry. Siakam had 15 points and Lowry had 14 points. The Cavaliers, on the other hand, had six players in double figures. They were led by rookie guard Collin Sexton, who finished the game with 28 points, and Cedi Osman finished with 19 points. Ante Zizic scored 17 points, while Kevin Love had a double-double with 16 points and 18 rebounds.
Here are talking points from the Cavaliers' win over the Raptors.
#3 The Cavaliers win the first game of their tough back-to-back
The Cavaliers have a total of four games this week. Out of those four games, two of them are back-to-back and three of the four games are also on the road. The Cavs are capable of winning their other two games (the Orlando Magic and the Dallas Mavericks) but their next game is a challenge, against the Philadelphia 76ers in Philadelphia is a challenge.
While the win over the Raptors was impressive, the Sixers are one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference and are tied with the Indiana Pacers for the third seed of the East.
The win over the Pacers was Joel Embiid's first game back for Philly. He has been out since after the All-Star break but returned and led the Sixers to victory as he finished the game with 33 points and 12 rebounds. With Embiid back in the lineup, the Sixers will be hard to beat.
#2 Serge Ibaka and Marquese Chriss will likely get fines/suspensions
The Toronto Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers fought their way to victory, literally. Near the end of the third quarter, Serge Ibaka of the Raptors and Marquese Chriss of the Cavs had a scuffle.
Ibaka fell to the floor while he and Chriss battled for position. Ibaka and Chriss were under the basket as the Raptors tried to throw a full-court pass. The pass went out of bounds as Ibaka fell. When Ibaka got up, he went after Chriss and shoved him before throwing a punch. Chriss responded by throwing punches of his own. Their teammates and referees broke up the incident between the two players and both Chriss and Ibaka were ejected from the game.
Incidents like this are not taken lightly by the NBA. Conflicts happen in games, but when punches are thrown, players typically receive consequences. It is likely that the NBA will review the incident and give out the proper fines and/or suspensions.
#1 The Raptors finish their road trip
The Raptors looked tired and sluggish in this game. Their last three games were on the road and their loss against the Cavs was the second game of a back-to-back as the Raptors faced the Miami Heat on Sunday.
During their three-game road trip, the Raptors won 2 out of 3 games and the road trip revolved around blowouts. They beat two teams by significant margins, while the Cavs returned the favor. The Raptors' win over the Heat was by 21 points and their Friday win over the Pelicans was by 23 points.
Toronto's loss to the Cavaliers is not alarming. The Raptors are still second in the Eastern Conference with a record of 48-20. As the season winds down, the Raptors can take their foot off the pedal. They can finish the regular season and prepare for the playoffs. Regardless, the season continues for both the Cavaliers and the Raptors.
Now, the Raptors return home as they face the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. The Raptors can use the rest and a game on their home court.
Guess the Lakers players!
