The Cleveland Cavaliers dropped their second-straight game on the road, falling to the Toronto Raptors by a final score of 126-110.
It was some clinic put on by MVP candidate Kawhi Leonard during Friday night’s contest against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Leonard tied his season-high in points with 37 thanks to a strong shooting performance. He shot 12-for-16 from the floor and knocked down eleven of his twelve free throws to lead the Toronto Raptors to their 25th victory of the 2018-19 season.
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Alongside Leonard was second-year forward OG Anunoby. Anunoby had a big night in front of the Toronto faithful, scoring a career-high 21 points to lend Leonard a helping hand in the points department. Anunoby made Cleveland pay a ton in the first quarter with fifteen of his total tally coming in the opening frame. From a couple of three-pointers to slamming it home, the 21-year old made the Wine and Gold pay.
But the Cavaliers were never really out of this one, despite the lopsided closing deficit.
Cleveland brought the difference to six points in the third quarter multiple times but could never break through to tie or take a lead in the second half. Every time they found some life, the Raptors shut the door on them and finally pulled away late. The Cavaliers were outscored in the first and fourth quarters by a combined sixteen points. A slow start and flat finish are what will haunt the team in the wake of this defeat.
Leading the way for Cleveland was Larry Nance Jr. with yet another double-double. Nance Jr. finished with sixteen points and twelve rebounds while also adding two blocks. Second-year center Ante Zizic had a nice showing as well, posting eleven points and six rebounds in just eighteen minutes. Jordan Clarkson once again led the team in scoring with 20 points on 6-of-14 shooting.
With the loss on Friday, Cleveland dropped to 8-25 on the season.
Let’s have a chat about what we saw in the loss as the team regroups and comes home for a battle against the Chicago Bulls.