By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Cleveland Cavaliers had to dig deep to contain the early rampage of the Toronto Raptors, 132-126, and kept their NBA regular season winning streak alive to 12 consecutive games on January 10, 2025.
Down by 12 points midway through the third quarter, the Cavaliers received a wake-up call from their head coach Kenny Atkinson after the veteran mentor was forced to call a timeout.
Atkinson went off on his team, emphasizing the need to go harder in the paint and defend every drive that the athletic guards from Toronto were doing.
Once the fourth quarter kicked off, the Cavaliers received the memo. In just three minutes, the no. 1 team in the Eastern Conference went unconscious and retook their spot in the driver’s seat.
After a passive third quarter in which they failed to move the ball faster, Cleveland went back to their identity and dissected Toronto with its crisp passing and efficient pick-and-roll plays.
However, it was Darius Garland who stole the show as the daredevil floor general of the Cavaliers erupted for a season-high 40-point production.
Garland was torching the Raptors since the first frame, but the multi-dimensional scorer showcased his deep offensive bag in the fourth, putting up deuces in a variety of ways that steered Cleveland to an eight-point lead with five minutes remaining in the ball game.
Without the presence of their franchise player Donovan Mitchell who sat out the game due to rest, Garland took over and shot an efficient 14/22 from the field including four made three-pointers and 8/9 from the charity stripe.
Garland also orchestrated the Cleveland offense to perfection and dished out a game-high nine assists alongside two rebounds and two steals.
Jarrett Allen continued his dominance at the post and finished another dub with a double-double, registering 18 markers, 15 boards, three dimes, two blocks, and a steal.
The veteran center picked up where he left off after the Cavaliers snapped Oklahoma’s 15-game winning streak, where he delivered 25 points and 11 rebounds.
On the other hand, Toronto received an exceptional outing from their backup frontcourt Chris Boucher who had 23 points and 12 rebounds but their poor execution in the most crucial stretch in the fourth robbed them of the chance of becoming the first team to take down the Cavaliers in 12 NBA games.
