NBA 2018-19, Cleveland Cavaliers vs Toronto Raptors: 3 talking points

Final Score: Toronto Raptors beat Cleveland Cavaliers, 126-110

With Kyle Lowry, Danny Green and Serge Ibaka not available for this match, it was an excellent opportunity for the Cleveland Cavaliers to sneak in a victory on Friday. Instead, Raptors beat them 126-110, with Kawhi Leonard scoring 37 points.

The first half ended with Raptors leading by 7 points. The Cavs came back in the third quarter by scoring 41 points but were not able to contain the Raptors on the other end, as their lead was reduced by just 1 point.

The final quarter saw a horrible defensive display from the Cavs team. They gave away the match and scored just 17 points in the quarter.

For the Raptors, Kawhi Leonard tied season-high 37 points, and OG Anunoby tied his career-high. Fred VanVleet had a great night in the absence of Kyle Lowry as he scored 14 points and had zero turnovers. Also, Delon Wright and Pascal Siakam were too much for this young Cavs team.

Up next, Raptors play 76ers and Cavs will take on the Chicago Bulls on Sunday.

Now, let's talk about the three main points from the match.

3) Cavs gave it away in the Fourth

The Cavs were always in the game until the third quarter. They were behind by seven and had 40 points in the third quarter. The lead reduced to six entering the fourth.

However, the game went away entirely from the Cavs during the fourth quarter where Raptors got few uncontested looks beyond the arc and knocked them down. The Cavs just scored 17 in it. These are clear signs of missing maturity and composure in the team.

Below is what Cedi Osman said after the game:

"It's tough because I think we played really good basketball. We really fought during the 48-minute game. In the third quarter, we were playing really good and I think in the fourth quarter we really just gave up offensive rebounds and then they made some open 3s and I think that broke our mentality during the game and broke our toughness."

2) Kawhi Leonard scored 37 points

Kawhi Leonard tied his season-high 37 points on Friday. He scored 12 out of 16 from the field and 2 out of 4 three-pointers.

Leonard was solid from the free throw line as well as he made 11 out of the 12 attempted. He also had six rebounds in the game.

The player also scored 15 points in the third quarter and was unstoppable. He scored over regardless of who was guarding him, and made his scoring look so easy.

Leonard is averaging 26.8 points and 8.4 rebounds this season and is not stopping anytime soon.

It is clear to say now that Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors are strong contenders this year and the Raptors is no doubt one of the best teams in the NBA right now. If they keep up this momentum and all the players stay fit, they can bring the championship home this season.

1) Raptors are a strong and deep team

With the Raptors missing the services of Kyle Lowry, Danny Green and Serge Ibaka, the rest of the group stood up on occasion.

OG Anunoby, the sophomore, started in place of Danny Green. He scored 13 of the Raptors' first 15 points. With three 3-pointers, he tied the career-high 21 points, with 17 of them coming in the first quarter. He scored 9-for-13 from the field.

Watch the video of a fantastic spin move by Anunoby:

The OG spin pic.twitter.com/VC8g2AYc9W
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) December 22, 2018

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With 10 out of 11 players scoring at least a point for the Raptors, this team is quite a deep team. They did not make it feel like they were missing a few key players with another stepping in.

Delon Wright, Pascal Siakam and Fred Van Vleet score in double figures and made sure they take home the W.

This Raptors team is a delight to watch.