Pascal Siakam scored 36 points, and the Toronto Raptors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 124-121.
Scottie Barnes’ driving layup put the Raptors ahead for good with 1:30 left in the fourth quarter.
The Cavaliers had the ball down 3 with 1.3 seconds left, but Barnes stole the ball from Max Strus, lifting the Raptors’ chance to win from 97% to over 99%. A 3-pointer would have tied the game.
During clutch time, the Raptors outscored the Cavaliers 10-7. Barnes scored 4 of the Raptors’ 10 on 1 for 2 shooting and 2 for 4 at the line.
Barnes scored 20 points, and RJ Barrett added 19 points (10 in the paint) and 9 rebounds in his first game with the Raptors.
For the Cavaliers, Caris LeVert scored 31 points (20 in the paint) on 12 for 20 shooting off the bench, and Donovan Mitchell added 26 points, 7 assists and 4 steals.
The Cavaliers got 6 offensive rebounds, about 5 fewer than usual for the shots they missed. They outscored the Raptors 55-21 off the bench. The Cavaliers outscored the Raptors 20-10 in 6 minutes with Thompson, Niang, Mitchell, Strus and Merrill on the floor together.