Antawn Jamison leads Cleveland Cavaliers late charge to down Toronto Raptors – NBA Recap
The Cleveland Cavaliers peaked late in the game but managed to defeat the Toronto Raptors 84-80 here at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Cleveland were playing without Kyrie Irving, but were led by Antawn Jamison who scored 25 points and grabbed 8 rebounds.
Cleveland started off well, leading 10-2 early in the 1st period. The Raptors came back with a 15-4 run to take the lead 17-14. The first quarter ended with Toronto leading 22-20. There was a point in the 2nd quarter when both teams went scoreless for 2 whole minutes. Toronto led 42-39 to finish the first half.
The 3rd quarter, unlike the first two, belonged to Toronto who outscored Cleveland 21-12. They went on a 17-6 run to end the 3rd quarter, leading 63-51.
The Cavaliers fought back in the final period, with a jump shot followed by a three pointer by Antawn Jamison that tied the game at 66 with 6:56 left. Cleveland then went on a 6-0 run to take the lead 74-68, and then never trailed.
A driving dunk by DeMar DeRozan brought Toronto to within three of Cleveland with 19 seconds to go in the game. But Cleveland held on to win the math 84-80. The Raptors only managed three field goals in the 2nd half of the 4th quarter.
It was a low scoring affair although both teams are averaging more than 90 points per game for the season. Cleveland shot 34.2% from the field while Toronto shot 42.5%. Both teams shot poorly from the 3-point range, Toronto shooting 20% and Cleveland 29.4%. However, Cleveland had 40 free throw attempts and scored 29, compared with Toronto, who were 15-24 from the free throw line. Toronto outscored Cleveland in rebounds but had 8 more turnovers as well.
Antawn Jamison was the player of the night for Cleveland, scoring 25 points at 8 of 16 shooting. Lester Hudson, who is on a 10-day contract, came off the bench to score a career high 23 for Cleveland while Samardo Samuels added 10 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. It was a good night for the Cleveland bench, chipping in a combined 35 points.
“We did a good job putting them on their heels. Somebody had to help Lester coming down and I was able to get a couple of open looks. Just did a great as far as getting me the ball and I was able to knock down some big shots” said Antawn Jamison.
DeMar DeRozan led the scoring for the Toronto Raptors, scoring 28 points and going 10 of 16 from the field. Andrea Bargnani added 19 points.
Toronto wins the season series 3-1 against the Cavaliers. Raptors were on a three game winning streak before this match.
Tags: