Young Bull’s Big Third Lifts Cavs Past Raptors

WRAP-UP

There was a common phrase uttered during the Cavaliers-Raptors battles of the recent past: “Don’t poke the bear.” After Sunday night, they might have to adjust it to: “Don’t poke the Bull.”

The Raptors got under Collin Sexton’s skin in a minor dust-up just before intermission, and the third-year guard – and his teammates – responded with a vengeance, outscoring Toronto by 14 points in the third period and holding off its late rally for the 116-105 win on Sunday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Sexton notched 14 of his game-high 36 points in that decisive third quarter – going 13-for-24 from the floor, including 5-of-9 from long-range and 4-of-6 from the stripe, adding four assists and a pair of steals overall.

The Wine & Gold had one of their most efficient offensive performances of the season on Sunday – shooting 51 percent from the floor, including 52 percent from long-range, handing out 29 assists on 39 made baskets.

Cleveland also mauled Toronto on the boards, 54-37 – topping the Raptors in the first head-to-head matchup this season after dropping all three decisions a year ago.

Jarrett Allen finished with his second straight double-double – notching 17 points and a game-high 15 boards, going 4-of-8 from the floor and 9-of-11 from the stripe.

Dean Wade canned his first four shots – including his first three triples – of the night and finished with 16 points off the bench, adding three boards and three assists in 17 minutes of work.

Darius Garland chipped in with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting, leading the starting unit with six assists to go with five boards and a steal.

Larry Nance Jr. closed out the Cavaliers in double-figures, finishing with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting, adding seven boards, a steal and a block in the win.

Fred VanVleet led the Raptors with 23 points, going 8-for-24 from the floor, including 5-of-15 from beyond the arc.

Miss any of the action? Find all the highlights and photos in the Game Tracker.

FEATURED HIGHLIGHT

Isaac Okoro dives to the hardwood to get the steal, makes a pass to Collin Sexton while on the floor as Sexton finishes the break with a dunk.

TURNING POINT

The Cavaliers haven’t been the best third quarter team all season, but they came out of the halftime locker room with an attitude on Sunday.

Just before halftime, with Cleveland leading by a deuce, there was a slight dust-up between Collin Sexton and Normal Powell, and the Wine & Gold – specifically Sexton – came out all-business to start the third, scoring the first 12 points of the period.

The Cavs would eventually run their lead to as many as 16 points in the third and 22 early in the fourth before Toronto made a final push down the stretch, cutting Cleveland’s lead to just five before running out of gas.

BY THE NUMBERS

By the Numbers – 5 … games this season that Collin Sexton has topped the 30-point plateau, including a 42-point outburst in an overtime win over Brooklyn in late January.

In those five contests, the Young Bull is averaging 36.2 points on .562 shooting from the floor, including .528 (19-of-36) from long-range and .703 from the stripe.

Sexton now has 10 30-point performances in his career.

QUOTABLE Jarrett Allen, on the second half of Sunday’s win being an important step forward …

“If you take basketball out of the situation, I think it was a step towards maturity. A step that we were going to hold our ground and go out there and play basketball and show toughness. It was a step for us, growing as people and players.”

CALLS OF THE GAME

Enjoy the best broadcast calls of the night from Cavaliers Radio Network’s Tim Alcorn and Rafa Hernandez-Brito from Power 89.1.

UP NEXT

With Sunday’s convincing win over the Raptors, the Cavaliers look to take three of four when they wrap up the homestand on Monday night – welcoming Buddy Hield and the Kings to town as they wrap up a six-game roadie.

From there, the Wine & Gold close out the month of March on the road, spending the final three games of the four-game sojourn on the West Coast after opening the trip on Wednesday night in Chicago. After their Windy City stop, it’s Friday night date with the Lakers, followed by a matchup with the Kings in Sacramento the following night and a Salt Lake City stop to take on the Jazz next Monday.