Cavaliers 122, Raptors 100
CLEVELAND -- Kyrie Irving stepped into a 3-pointer from 30 feet away and sank it. Later, he spun past two defenders and Euro-stepped his way to the basket early in the fourth quarter.
The Cavaliers guard talked for weeks about knocking the rust off, but he looked just fine Monday night in Cleveland's 122-100 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
Irving scored a season-high 25 points while adding eight assists and six rebounds, and forward LeBron James had 20 points and seven assists while sitting out the fourth quarter on a night when all five Cavs starters scored in double figures.
Guard Kyle Lowry had 23 points and 10 assists, and guard DeMar DeRozan had 19 points for the Raptors, who twice rallied from big deficits before the Cavs (23-9) pulled away for good in the fourth.
"They play as hard and as together as anyone in the league, except for San Antonio," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said of the Cavs. "If you don't bring your 'A' game against them, you're going to be embarrassed."
The Raptors (21-15) weren't embarrassed, but they couldn't keep pace in the fourth quarter. They went scoreless for more than four minutes, allowing Cleveland to turn a seven-point game into a blowout.
A jumper from backup center Timofey Mozgov extended the Cavs' lead to 108-87 with 6:13 left, the first 20-point lead of the game.
The Raptors rallied from 13 down in the first half to take a brief lead in the second quarter. They tied the game at 69 in the third quarter on a 3-pointer from James Johnson, who was starting at forward in place of DeMarre Carroll (knee). However, James' 3-pointer to close the third pushed the lead back to 90-78, and the Cavs weren't threatened again.
Guard J.R. Smith made a season-high eight 3-pointers to score 24 points, while forward Kevin Love had 14 points and nine rebounds and center Tristan Thompson had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Cavs, who have won four straight and improved to 15-1 at home.
The Raptors beat the Cavs at Toronto in late November when Cleveland was missing half of its rotation. Things changed dramatically Monday in large part to Irving, who continues to work his way back from offseason knee surgery.
Irving shot just 29 percent in his first three games back from a fractured kneecap, but he has shot 48 percent in his past three. He scored at least 20 points in two of his past three games, and his eight assists Monday were also a season high.
NOTES: Toronto F DeMarre Carroll did not play in Monday's game because of swelling in his knee. Carroll told reporters assistant coach and director of sport science Alex McKechnie wanted to hold him out. He could be out longer than just one game. ... Former top overall pick F Anthony Bennett has rejoined the Raptors after a D-League stint, but he has yet to appear in a game since returning. "He's a talented young man who is just trying to get experience, but it's been tough to get him time because of the minutes that are available," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. ... Cavs F LeBron James said he hasn't heard the new Kanye West single "Facts," which disparages James and Nike. "I heard about it but I haven't listened to it," James said of the track. "Obviously, I'm going to side with Nike no matter who it is."