Serge Ibaka scored a season-high 26 points, and the defending champion Toronto Raptors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-109 for their ninth straight win.
The Raptors took control with a 13-1 run bridging the third and fourth quarters and led by as many as 14.
The Cavaliers got within 105-104 on Darius Garland’s free throw with 1:18 to play, but Norman Powell answered with a corner 3-pointer, and the Cavaliers got no closer.
Pascal Siakam’s 2 free throws with 7.4 seconds left made it 115-109 and put it away.
During clutch time, the Raptors outscored the Cavaliers 14-8. Powell scored 7 of the Raptors’ 14 on 2 for 3 shooting and 2 for 2 at the line.
Kyle Lowry had 23 points (14 in the third quarter) and 3 steals, and Siakam added 19 points and a career-high 5 steals. Fred VanVleet assisted on 6 of Ibaka’s 10 baskets.
For the Cavaliers, Kevin Love scored 23 points (18 on 6 3-pointers) on 8 for 13 shooting, and Collin Sexton added 23 points.
The Cavaliers turned it over 23 times, about 6 more than usual for this many possessions.