Mitchell scores 35 points as Cavaliers snap Raptors' 4-game win streak
Cleveland guard makes 8 shots from 3-point range, 1 shy of career high
Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points and Jarrett Allen had 23 points and 11 rebounds, sending the Cavaliers to a 118-93 victory over the Toronto Raptors in Cleveland on Sunday night.
Darius Garland added 18 points and 11 assists, and Evan Mobley had 18 points and nine rebounds for Cleveland, which built a 110-80 lead in the fourth quarter and improved to 26-7 at home this season.
"We hadn't played our best basketball the last three games, so we just came out and were aggressive," said Mitchell, who scored 13 points in both the second and third quarters. "Darius got us going scoring-wise and the rest of us took over from there."
Pascal Siakam paced Toronto with 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and Jakob Poeltl had 13 points and nine boards. Starting point guard Fred VanVleet missed his third straight game for personal reasons.
WATCH | Mitchell leads way against Raptors:
The Cavaliers avoided a four-game season sweep by the Raptors.
"This was a big game for us and Donovan is a guy who shines brightest when we need him the most," Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "Most important, he's a part of the team and I can't say enough about that."
The Raptors had won a season-high four in a row and are 7-2 since Feb. 3, moving into ninth in the East. They failed to reach .500 for the first time since Dec. 9 with the 25-point loss, shooting 38.7 per cent from the field.
Mitchell and Garland combined to make their first seven 3-point attempts and Allen made his first seven shots, staking Cleveland to a 64-52 halftime advantage. Mobley grabbed seven rebounds in the second quarter.
Toronto is in the midst of an eight-game stretch that only includes one at home. The span began with a 95-91 victory at Detroit on Saturday afternoon.
The Raptors next host the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night.
