Cavaliers get 20th win over replacement Raptors
The Cleveland Cavaliers were able to cruise to rather easy 144-99 win over an extremely shorthanded Toronto Raptors squad.
To call this game far from a fair matchup is an understatement. Both teams are impacted with players who are in health and safety protocols, but Toronto was hit harder. Their starting five featured just nine starts combined with five belonging to Chris Boucher and the other credited to Svi Mykhailiuk. While the Cavaliers were still able to start two regulars and two high-use bench players.
After the 1st quarter was surprisingly tight with the Cavaliers leading 35-34 the game got out of hand. Cleveland proceeded to outscore Toronto 109-65 over the remainder of the contest and their 22 made three-pointers helped propel them to their highest point total of the season.
All five of the Cavs starters scored at least 16 points. Darius Garland and Kevin Love led the way with 22 points each, with Garland assisting on eight other baskets and Love grabbing eight rebounds. Lauri Markkanen went 9-13 from the field as he finished with 20 points and seven rebounds. Dean Wade made 7 of 12 field goals as he scored 17 points while Ricky Rubio added 16 points and six assists of his own.
Denzel Valentine turned in a surprising performance off the bench for the Cavaliers, leading the team in bench scoring with 17. Valentine made five of his nine three-point attempts (6-11 overall) in addition to his nine rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
The loudest cheers of the night came with the game essentially put away as Tacko Fall entered the game. Fall would play 11 minutes, scoring three with seven rebounds (three offensive), two assists, and two blocks.
