TORONTO (AP) — LeBron James scored 34 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers overcame an injury to J.R. Smith to snap their three-game losing streak with a 116-112 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Monday night.
Smith injured his left knee in the first quarter after landing on a jump shot and hobbled to the dressing room in considerable pain. He did not return, and the Cavaliers said X-rays taken at the arena were negative and that the guard would return to Cleveland on Tuesday for further examination.
DeMar DeRozan had 31 points and Kyle Lowry added 24 for Toronto, which had its six-game winning streak snapped.
The win was the Cavaliers’ third straight this season against the Raptors, the team they beat in last season’s Eastern Conference finals. It also prevented Toronto from leapfrogging Cleveland into first place in the conference.
Kevin Love had 28 points and 14 rebounds for his team-leading 13th double-double of the season and his third straight against the Raptors. Kyrie Irving added 24 points, his career-high 10th straight game with at least 20.
The Cavaliers seized control of the game in the third quarter with a 23-11 run, turning a one-point halftime edge into a 13-point lead on Love’s sixth 3-pointer of the game with 3:35 to play in the quarter. They eventually took a 90-81 advantage into the fourth.
A turnaround jump shot from DeRozan with 24 seconds remaining closed the gap to five, and he followed that up with a 3-pointer 10 seconds later that looked to put the result in doubt, but after review he was ruled out of bounds. Love then made a pair of free throws.
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: F Mike Dunleavy returned after missing the last two games with concussion-like symptoms. . Cleveland clinched the tiebreaker over Toronto with one meeting remaining. . The Cavaliers received a scare just 1:29 into the game when James fell awkwardly after converting an alley-oop dunk. He remained on one knee and Cleveland responded by calling a timeout, but he was back on the court when the game resumed.
Raptors: DeRozan tied Morris Peterson for the most appearances in Raptors’ history with his 542nd game in Toronto colors on Monday.
PLAYOFF PREVIEW?
Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue thinks the Cavaliers will have to see the Raptors again in the postseason if they want to successfully defend their title.
“To get to the (NBA) Finals we’ve got to beat each other,” he said. “It’s always a tough game when we play these guys.”
GRITTED TEETH
After being elbowed in the mouth by Love going for a rebound with 5:22 to play in the first quarter, Lowry headed to the dressing room to be examined by a dentist. He didn’t lose any teeth and returned to the court after receiving a shot of Novocain, according to the team.
PAYING TRIBUTE
As part of the third annual Giants of Africa night, an event conceived by Toronto president Masai Ujiri to honor the legacy of late South African president Nelson Mandela, the Raptors wore specially designed blue warm-up T-shirts with “1” and “Mandela” on the back. Mandela’s grandson, Kweku Mandela, was in attendance for the game.
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Visit New York on Wednesday aiming for an eighth straight win over the Knicks.
Raptors: Looking to extend home winning streak over the Timberwolves to a 13th consecutive victory.
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