Cavaliers 84 - 80 Raptors
Final
  for this game

Cavs beat Raptors to snap 9-game losing streak

Apr 7, 2012 - 2:49 AM Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Antawn Jamison scored 16 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter and the Cavaliers snapped a nine-game losing streak with an 84-80 win over the Raptors at Air Canada Centre on Friday.

Lester Hudson added a career-high 23 points and handed out seven assists off the bench as Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving continues to rest his ailing shoulder. Samardo Samuels chipped in 10 points and seven boards.

"I'm very proud of my team and the way my team played," said Cleveland head coach Byron Scott. "We're starting to get back to competing. We did it the other night in Milwaukee and we did it tonight down 13."

DeMar DeRozan scored a game-high 28 points, while Andrea Bargnani added 19 points and seven boards for the Raptors, who had their three-game win streak halted.

Cleveland trailed by just one early in the third, but Toronto outscored the Cavs 17-6 over the next seven-plus minutes, pressing the margin to 63-51 after three quarters of play.

The fourth quarter belonged to the visitors, however, as Cleveland outscored the Raptors 23-5 over the first nine minutes of the frame.

Jamison led the Cavs' comeback charge, knocking down three three-pointers en route to 15 points in the run to provide Cleveland with a 74-68 advantage with 3:03 to play.

The Raptors tallied three straight from the free-throw line to pull within three, but Alonzo Gee finished a layup and Cleveland went 8-of-10 from the line over the final 40 seconds to secure the victory.

"We played a great third quarter defensively, and then we missed covering Jamison about 10 times in the fourth quarter," admitted Bargnani after the loss. "There's no excuse. You play a good third quarter and then have a fourth quarter like that."

Bargnani accounted for 11 of the Raptors first 13 points and finished the frame with 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting, propelling the Raptors to a 22-20 edge after one.

Toronto scored the first five of the second, and led for the majority of the frame until a 9-2 surge found the visitors holding a 36-34 lead with just over four minutes left in the half.

The Raptors quickly restored the lead with six straight and held a 42-39 advantage at intermission.

Game Notes

Cleveland will wrap up a three-game road trip with a visit to New Jersey on Sunday, while Toronto will head to Oklahoma City on Sunday and Indiana on Monday for a quick two-game trek...Toronto's Ben Uzoh made his first NBA start after being signed to a 10-day contract earlier on Friday and finished with nine points.






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