CLEVELAND (AP) – Kevin Love and Darius Garland each scored 22 points, and the Cleveland Cavaliers tied their franchise record with 46 points in the third quarter of a 144-99 win over the Toronto Raptors, who exhausted the COVID- 19 Sunday night.
Lauri Markkanen added 20 points and Garland had eight assists for Cleveland, who led by 47 points twice late in the quarter. The Cavaliers won their fifth straight home game and made 22 3-pointers on 52 attempts, a team record.
Yuta Watanabe posted a career high of 26 points and 13 rebounds for Toronto, and Chris Boucher scored 21 points. The Raptors have 10 players in NBA health and safety protocols, including top scorer Fred VanVleet, rookie Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam.
The Raptors’ active eight-man roster, with four hardship signers, had never been together until they held a brief practice on the main court at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse before the game. DJ Wilson had 15 points and eight rebounds in his debut with the team.
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Toronto’s previous two games were postponed when it failed to equip the required eight players. Boucher, Watanabe, Svi Mykhailiuk and Dalano Banton were the only remnants of the Raptors from their squad prior to the outbreak.
It was Cleveland’s largest margin of victory of the season and the first time Toronto lost by more than 17 points in 2021-22. The Cavaliers had 39 assists, two less than the most in the NBA this season.
Denzel Valentine had 17 points and nine rebounds, Dean Wade had 17 points and Ricky Rubio had 16 points and six assists for Cleveland. Love had nine rebounds and Tacko Fall had three points and seven rebounds in 11 minutes off the bench.
Rookie Evan Mobley and center Jarrett Allen were among the seven Cavaliers sidelined due to security protocols. Cleveland has the fifth-best record in the Eastern Conference at 20-13.
ADVICE
Raptors: G Gary Trent Jr., F Precious Achiuwa, F OG Anunoby, C Khem Birch, F Isaac Bonga, F Justin Champagnie and G Malachi Flynn are also in the health and safety protocols. … G Goran Dragic (personal reasons) and G David Johnson (left calf strain) were officially active, but unavailable. … F DJ Wilson, F Juwan Morgan, C Daniel Oturu and G Tremont Waters have 10-day contracts through list exceptions.
Cavaliers: G Isaac Okoro missed his third game in a row while working on his conditioning after being removed from safety protocols. … F Cedi Osman was added to the protocols earlier in the day, joining C Ed Davis, G RJ Nembhard, G Lamar Stevens and F Dylan Windler. … Cleveland leads the East and ranks third in the NBA with 15 double-digit wins. The last 11 Cavaliers wins have been by at least 10 points.
CHRISTMAS GIFT
Cavaliers coach JB Bickerstaff, who was promoted to office on February 19, 2020, signed a multi-year contract extension Saturday morning. The son of former NBA coach and current Cleveland senior adviser Bernie Bickerstaff took over a team in disarray following the resignation of John Beilein. “If you look at our list, we’ve got guys stuck here for a long time,” said Bickerstaff, who is 47-69 with the Cavaliers. “Now, with this coaching staff, we are also locked in for a long time.”
UNTIL NEXT TIME
Raptors: Host Philadelphia Tuesday night.
Cavaliers: Visit New Orleans on Tuesday night.
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