(Photo by Ron Turenne/NBAE via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON -- In the first season removed from the Kawhi Leonard era, the Raptors were in need of a go-to scorer, and Pascal Siakam answered the bell. The Toronto big man came into tonight's game averaging just over 24 ppg, and lit the Cavs up for a total of 34 points. The Raptors forced a young Cavaliers team into 10 turnovers, which in-turn gave Toronto a comfortable lead, cruising to a 133-113 victory over the visiting Cavs.
Whenever the Cavaliers would cut the Raptors lead down to single digits, the Raptors would answer back with a run of their own. Toronto shot lights out from the field, knocking down 52 of 89 total shots, including 16 three balls. Norman Powell took advantage of Cleveland's lack of length on the perimeter, scoring 26 points on 11-15 shooting. Serge Ibaka provided a needed spark from the Raptors bench, scoring 14 points and pulling in 5 rebounds.
Second-year guard Collin Sexton looks more comfortable each game that he plays, and that trend continued on Monday evening. Sexton led the Cavaliers in scoring with 25 points, including 5 boards and 4 assists. Cleveland's rookie tandem of Kevin Porter Jr and Darius Garland have been coming into their own, and seem comfortable when on the court together. The two rookies combined for 29 points, 14 of which came from Garland in the fourth quarter.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will head back to Cleveland to prepare for their matchup with the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday evening. Wednesday's game is set for a 7:00 pm ET tip-off at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. Check out highlights from the game below!