National Basketball Association
Cleveland 132, Toronto 126
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, January 9, 2025
Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, Ohio
Officials: #58 Josh Tiven, #68 Jacyn Goble, #81 Simone Jelks
Attendance: 19432

Darius Garland scored 40 points on 14-of-22 shooting, helping the Cleveland Cavaliers narrowly avoid an upset with a 132-126 win over the visiting Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.

The Cavaliers, who trailed by 12 points in the third quarter, extended their winning streak to 12 games while handing the Raptors their fourth loss in a row.

Cleveland's Evan Mobley scored 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting in addition to grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out six assists. Jarrett Allen chipped in 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting and grabbed a team-high 15 rebounds, while Caris LeVert also had 18 points.

Scottie Barnes led the Raptors with 24 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and three steals. Chris Boucher followed with 23 points off the bench, hitting 5 of 8 from 3-point range, and pulled down 12 rebounds. RJ Barrett added 20 points, and Jakob Poeltl had 17 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals.

Garland delivered the clincher with 39.6 seconds remaining, burying an isolated step-back 3-pointer to give the Cavaliers a 129-124 lead. The bucket came directly after Allen made an outstanding hustle play to regain possession for Cleveland, preventing Toronto from getting a second opportunity to tie the game.

LeVert converted from midrange to put the Cavaliers ahead 111-109 with 8:45 remaining in the game, their first lead of the second half. Max Strus put the Cavaliers ahead for good at 119-117 by burying a 3-pointer with 5:21 to go.

Boucher scored five straight points to give the Raptors an 89-78 lead with 5:28 left in the third quarter, capping a 10-0 run for Toronto. The lead soon grew to 93-81.

The Raptors shot 76 percent (19 of 25) from the field in the third quarter, but the Cavaliers minimized the damage with a hot-handed third quarter of their own. Cleveland made 14 of its 21 field-goal attempts in the frame, 67 percent.

Toronto outscored Cleveland 42-37 in the third quarter and took a 103-98 lead into the fourth.

The Cavaliers shot 47 of 89 (52.8 percent) from the field overall, making 18 of 45 attempts (40 percent) from long range. Cleveland outrebounded Toronto 42-37. The Raptors made 53 of their 89 field-goal attempts (59.6 percent) from the field overall, including 14 of 31 attempts (45.2 percent) from beyond the arc.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Toronto   Cleveland
Scottie Barnes 24 Scoring Darius Garland 40
Scottie Barnes 8 Assists Darius Garland 9
Chris Boucher 12 Rebounds Jarrett Allen 15
Scottie Barnes 2 Free Throws Made Darius Garland 8
Scottie Barnes 3 Steals Darius Garland 2
Chris Boucher 1 Blocks Jarrett Allen 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Toronto 126 59.6 14-31 6-13 34 37 2 9 13
Cleveland 132 52.8 18-45 20-25 31 42 3 8 11
Upcoming Games
  • Cleveland will play their next game at home against Indiana. The Cavaliers have a W/L % of .906 after a win and .800 after a loss.
  • Toronto will play their next game on the road against Detroit. The Raptors have a W/L % of .222 after a win and .207 after a loss.