NBA: Donovan Mitchell propels Cavaliers to drubbing of Raptors
Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts to being called for a flagrant foul during the third quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on February 26, 2023 in Cleveland, Ohio. Jason Miller/Getty Images/AFP
Donovan Mitchell scored 22 of his 35 points in the first half, and the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the visiting Toronto Raptors 118-93 Sunday night.
Mitchell shot 13-for-21 from the field, including 8-for-12 from 3-point range.
Jarrett Allen added 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who had their three-game losing streak end.
The Cavaliers won for the first time in four games this season against the Raptors.
Darius Garland added 18 points and 11 assists for the Cavaliers, while Evan Mobley had 18 points and nine rebounds.
Pascal Siakam scored 25 points for the Raptors, who had their season-best, four-game winning streak end. Jakob Poeltl added 13 points and nine rebounds for the Raptors, who won against the host Detroit Pistons on Saturday. Scottie Barnes chipped in with 12 points.
At this point… we have no words. 😧@spidadmitchell | 35 PTS, 4 AST, 5 REB pic.twitter.com/IBQumPUtze
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) February 27, 2023
After leading by as many as 20 points during the third quarter, Cleveland took a 16-point advantage into the fourth.
Garland’s layup following Ricky Rubio’s steal capped an 11-0 run that gave the Cavaliers a 105-78 lead with 8:47 to play in the final period. Allen’s dunk pushed the lead to 29 with 6:51 to play.
Cleveland led 34-28 after one quarter.
Allen’s dunk after Mitchell’s steal stretched the lead to 12 points with 6:50 remaining in the second quarter. The lead reached 14 on Mobley’s 3-pointer with 2:53 left. Cleveland led 64-52 at halftime.
Cleveland shot 53.3 percent (24-for-45) in the first half, while Toronto shot 45.7 percent (21-for-46).
Toronto cut the lead to four early in the third quarter, before Cleveland responded with an 8-0 run to lead by 12 with 7:20 to play. Mitchell’s 3-pointer bumped the lead to 20 points with 3:52 left. O.G. Anunoby completed the third-quarter scoring when he hit a 3-pointer to beat the buzzer that cut the Cleveland lead to 92-76.
Fred VanVleet (personal) did not play for Toronto for the third consecutive game.
