CLEVELAND -- The Toronto Raptors finally won a game against the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers, with an eye toward four more in the playoffs.

Norman Powell led all scorers with 25 points, and the Raptors pounded the Cavs 98-83 in the final game of the regular season.

Cleveland, which knocked Toronto out of the conference finals last season, lost its last four games and will be the No. 2 seed entering the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Cavs host the No. 7-seed Indiana Pacers at 3 p.m. on Saturday.

The Raptors are the third seed and host the Milwaukee Bucks at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. If both the Cavs and Raptors win their opening series, they would meet in the conference semifinals.

"They're the champs. They're the champs for a reason," said Toronto guard Kyle Lowry, who scored 13 points on Wednesday. "I would never say they're vulnerable. I would say never. They're the champs. Every team out there has to beat them to become the champs. But right now, we can't focus on them. We're focused on ourselves and the Milwaukee Bucks."

The Cavs were without LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. The Raptors rested DeMar DeRozan and Serge Ibaka. Cleveland needed to win and have the Celtics lose to Milwaukee to claim the No. 1 seed.

Cleveland and Toronto finished with identical 51-31 records, but the Cavs won the first three games of the season series, which is the tiebreaker.

At the season's midpoint, the Cavs were 30-11. They led the Celtics by four games on March 1, and then finished the year 10-14. Momentum is not exactly on their side heading into the playoffs.

"I'm going into it thinking we can win," Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said. "That's my job to make sure everybody in that locker room understands that we're going to win. That's on me, but I'm pretty sure that a lot of guys in that locker room feel the same way. We had a tough regular season, but if we went 82-0 and lost first round, then you'd be writing about that."

Jonas Valanciunas scored 13 points to go with seven rebounds for the Raptors.

Powell played 34 minutes and shot 10-of-13 from the field in DeRozan's place.

"You've got to be locked in," Powell said. "It's a new season and anything can happen. These games are going to be tough. It's going to take a lot of mental focus and focus on the little things. It's not the big play that will make you win in the playoffs, it's the little things on the defensive end, talking, relying on your teammates' help and executing on the offensive end."

Iman Shumpert was the Cavs' leading scorer with 11 points. Tristan Thompson returned after missing the previous four games with a sprained right thumb and scored 10 points and grabbed four rebounds in the first half.

Thompson played the game with a brace on his thumb that he will have to wear in the playoffs.

"He wanted to play a little more, but you're playing great, he was able to catch the ball and finish around the rim and get some offensive rebounds," Lue said. "For now, it was really good. I'm glad we got out of that game without him reaggravating it at all."

NOTES: Raptors C Jonas Valanciunas connected on his first 3-pointer this season, with 5:18 left in the second quarter. ... Cavs F Richard Jefferson nailed a 3-pointer with 10:57 left in the second quarter, breaking a 46:08 personal scoreless streak. ... Cavs G Dahntay Jones and C Walter Tavares, both signed Wednesday, saw action. Tavares, who spent most of the year in the D-League, scored six points and added 10 rebounds and six blocks. Jones, cut by the Cavs in training camp, scored nine points, all in the fourth quarter. ... Cavs rookie G Kay Felder (left ankle sprain) didn't play on a night when he otherwise would have been out there. He was injured Monday against the Miami Heat.