On Saturday, February 10th, 2024, the Cleveland Cavaliers extended their winning streak to a season-high nine games by routing the Toronto Raptors 119-95 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada. The Cavs played an impressive game, finishing with 48 made baskets and a total of 36 assists, just one shy of their season-high.
The team was led by Jarrett Allen, who scored 18 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, and Evan Mobley, who added 17 points and 11 rebounds to the scorecard. Donovan Mitchell and Max Strus also contributed with 15 and 14 points, respectively, while Caris LeVert and Georges Niang each had 13 points. Isaac Okoro scored 12 points, and Darius Garland had 11.
Cleveland has been playing at an elite level lately, winning 22 of their last 26 games. Their NBA-best road record now stands at 17-8. The Cavs have been particularly impressive defensively, holding their opponents below 100 points in all 11 games that they have won this season. Their coach, J.B. Bickerstaff, praised the team’s defensive effort, saying, “In our mind, we want to be elite defensively. We want to be able to strangle people.”
Toronto, on the other hand, had won four straight and 10 of the past 11 home meetings against Cleveland, including a 124-121 victory on Jan 1. However, the Cavs returned to Canada having won 16 of 17 since that New Year’s Day defeat, sandwiching eight-game winning streaks around a Jan. 24 loss at Milwaukee. Now that second run has reached nine games, the longest active winning streak in the NBA.
Toronto’s Scottie Barnes scored 24 points, matched his season-high with 10 assists, and added 10 rebounds for his fourth career triple-double and third this season. Gradey Dick and RJ Barrett scored 14 points each, and Immanuel Quickley had 10 for the Raptors. Toronto newcomers, Ochai Agbaji and Kelly Olynyk, who were acquired from Utah on Thursday, made their debuts. Olynyk scored 11 points in 22 minutes, and Agbaji had eight points in 20 minutes.
The Cavaliers dominated the game from the beginning, leading 30-24 after one quarter, and then opening the second quarter with a 21-4 spurt. By the intermission, Cleveland led 67-47. Allen had 12 points and 10 rebounds in the first half alone. The Cavs took a 95-73 lead into the fourth quarter and held onto their lead until the final whistle.
Justise Winslow was active for Toronto after signing a 10-day contract on Saturday afternoon, but did not play. Toronto also signed forward Mouhamadou Gueye to a 10-day contract on Saturday, but Gueye was not active against the Cavs. Both Gueye and Winslow had been with Raptor.
Cleveland will look to continue their winning streak when they host Philadelphia on Monday night.