Sexton nets 36 as Cavs notch victory

CLEVELAND (AP) — Collin Sexton scored 23 of his 36 points in the second half, Jarrett Allen had 17 points and 15 rebounds and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat Toronto 116-105 on Sunday night, handing the Raptors their eighth straight loss.

Dean Wade scored 16 points and Darius Garland had 15 points and six assists for Cleveland, which had dropped five of its previous six. Sexton’s 3-pointer gave the Cavaliers their largest lead at 97-75 early in the fourth.

Fred Vanvleet had 23 points and seven assists for Toronto, while Kyle Lowry and Norman Powell each had 18 points. The Raptors have lost eight in a row for the first time since Jan. 10-22, 2012.

Vanvleet nailed a 3-pointer with 54 seconds left to pull Toronto within 110-105, but Larry Nance Jr. answered with a dunk and Wade and Sexton made two free throws apiece to complete the win.

Toronto is a season-worst eight games below .500 and has fallen to 11th in the Eastern Conference, one spot out of the play-in tournament.

Sexton shot 13 of 24 and tied his career best with six 3-pointers, raising his scoring average to 24.2. Cleveland has moved within three games of a play-in spot, but may deal disgruntled center Andre Drummond before the NBA trade deadline Thursday.

The Cavaliers scored the first 12 points in the third, capped by Sexton’s 3-pointer to seize control 71-57. They finished 17 of 33 beyond the arc and dominated the rebounding battle 54-37, allowing them to overcome 27 turnovers that the Raptors turned into 26 points.

Cleveland carried a 59-57 lead into the break as Sexton scored 13 points and Wade had 11. There were 10 lead changes and seven ties in the first half, which ended with a dustup between Powell and Sexton, who each received technical fouls.

Powell scored 10 points in the first quarter as Toronto went in front 28-23. Cleveland’s starting frontcourt of Allen, Nance Jr. and Isaac Okoro didn’t score until the 6:34 mark of the second.

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Cavaliers: Host Sacramento on Monday. The Kings make their first trip to Cleveland since Dec. 7, 2018, and play the Cavaliers for the first time since April 4, 2019.