(Toronto) Pascal Siakam had six 3-pointers and 35 points to lead the Toronto Raptors to a 117-104 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in a key Eastern Conference seeding game of the NBA on Thursday.
Posted at 10:58 p.m.
Quebecer Chris Boucher scored 17 points and eight rebounds for the Raptors (41-32).
Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes had 11 points and teammates Fred VanVleet and Precious Achiuwa each had 10.
Lauri Markkanen was the Cavaliers’ most productive player (41-32) with 20 points.
The Raptors built themselves a 14-point lead before halftime against their Conference rivals, but the Cavaliers closed the gap to 83-75 early in the fourth quarter.
With nine games left in the season, the Raptors are trying to secure a top-six spot in the conference, which would allow them to avoid the playoffs en route to the playoffs.
Should the playoffs start on Friday, the Cavaliers would hold the tiebreaker over the Raptors given their 3-1 record against the Torontonians this season.
Held out since February 16, Toronto Raptors winger OG Anunoby regained his place on the starting five and scored 15 points.
Anunoby missed 15 games due to a fractured ring finger in his right hand.
He scored the Raptors’ first basket of the game with a three-point shot.
Anunoby had averaged 17.5 points per game this season. He also averaged 5.5 rebounds per game.
Gary Trent Jr. (toe) and Malachi Flynn (hamstring) are still on the sidelines for the Toronto squad.
The game against the Cavaliers was the first of a four-game home series for the Raptors. Nick Nurse’s squad will host the Indiana Pacers on Saturday, the Boston Celtics on Monday and finally the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday.