Cavs rally past Raptors for 12th consecutive win

Darius Garland scored 40 points on 14-of-24 shooting, helping the Cleveland Cavaliers narrowly avoid an upset with a 132-126 win over the visiting Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.The Cavaliers, who tr

Cavs rally past Raptors for 12th consecutive win

Darius Garland scored 40 points on 14-of-24 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.

Chris Boucher led the Raptors with 23 points off the bench, hitting 5 of 6 from 3-point range, and pulled down nine rebounds. RJ Barrett added 18 points, and Scottie Barnes had 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

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 mid-range 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 5:27 left in the third quarter, capping a 10-0 run for Toronto. The lead soon grew to 93-81.

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