TORONTO – Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley both had double-doubles as the Cleveland Cavaliers routed the Toronto Raptors 119-95 on Saturday for their ninth straight win.
Allen had 18 points and 15 rebounds for Cleveland (35-16), while Mobley added 17 points and 11 boards.
Donovan Mitchell scored 15 for the Cavaliers, who are trying to catch the Boston Celtics for first in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.
Scottie Barnes’s triple-double was wasted as Toronto (19-34) saw its modest two-game win streak end. Barnes finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Guard Ochai Agbaji and Canadian centre Kelly Olynyk made their debuts with the Raptors two days after they were traded to Toronto by the Utah Jazz.
Both came off the bench, as Olynyk finished with 11 points and six rebounds, and Agbaji scored eight.
Olynyk entered the game with 5:39 left in the first quarter to a loud ovation from the sold-out crowd of 19,800 at Scotiabank Arena. Olynyk’s parents both worked for the Raptors before moving to Kamloops, B.C.
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Agbaji also made his Toronto debut in the first quarter.
Cleveland outscored the Raptors 17-8 in the final five minutes of the first behind Allen’s six points. The Cavaliers ended the quarter with a 30-24 lead.
Agbaji laid it in with 17 seconds left in the half, but it only cut Cleveland’s lead to 67-47 after a dominant second from Mobley. He had eight points in the quarter, even as Barnes led all scorers in the period with 11 points.
Allen had a double-double by intermission, with 12 points and 10 rebounds by half.
Cleveland didn’t relent in the third, with Allen scoring six to help the visitors maintain their healthy lead. Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic relied heavily on his reserves in the quarter with Bruce Brown, Olynyk and rookie Gradey Dick seeing significant playing time as Toronto searched for some kind of spark.
The Raptors never found their footing, with the Cavs taking a 95-73 lead into the final quarter.
With Cleveland still holding a 21-point lead with 2:30 left to play, both teams put out players from deep on their bench.
10-DAY DEALS — Guard-forward Justise Winslow and forward Mouhamadou Gueye were signed to 10-day contracts by the Raptors on Saturday. Winslow averaged 16.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 26.8 minutes in 17 Showcase Cup and regular season games (11 starts) with Raptors 905 this season. Gueye averaged 14.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 30.9 minutes in 28 Showcase Cup and regular season games (all starts) with Raptors 905.
UP NEXT — Toronto hosts the lowly San Antonio Spurs on Monday.
Cleveland welcomes the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 10, 2024.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
