Raptors 101 Cavaliers 81
TORONTO — Andrea Bargnani scored 20 points and Linas Kleiza added 19 of his own Friday to pace a balanced attack as the Toronto Raptors blew out the Cleveland Cavaliers 101-81 in a matchup of teams jilted by their stars over the summer.
DeMar DeRozan added 14 points while Sonny Weems and Leandro Barbosa chipped in 13 each for the Raptors (1-1). Toronto again displayed a determined work ethic but was much more efficient from the field than in Wednesday’s season-opening loss to the Knicks.
They shot 47.6 per cent in their first victory of the post-Chris Bosh era, although talk about the all-star power forward’s departure still lingers.
Bosh joined The Fan 590 on Friday morning to clarify his comments earlier in the week, when he said his decision to join the Miami Heat was “all about being on TV at the end of the day.” He told the Toronto all-sports radio station he made the comment but not “in the context of why I made my decision” and that he left “to put myself in the best position to win championships.”
Cleveland, of course, knows all about that kind of pain after being dumped on national TV in the United States when LeBron James infamously declared that he was “going to take my talents to South Beach.”
The Cavaliers (1-1) are still picking up the pieces and were further depleted Friday by the absences of point guard Mo Williams (groin) and centre Anderson Varejao, who stayed home to be with his ill father.
Antwan Jamison led the Cavs with 13 points while Anthony Parker added 10 as they shot 38.1 per cent from the floor.
The Raptors took the lead for good at 7:52 of the first quarter and steadily built it up until blowing things wide open in the third, when they stretched their advantage to 22 points. DeRozan’s reverse layup capped a 17-5 run to close out the period and make it 77-55.
That reduced the fourth quarter to little more than a glorified scrimmage session, as players used the 12 minutes to pad their stats.
The Raptors led 46-38 at the half, an advantage cut into by Parker’s buzzer-beating three. Their advantage stretched up to 12 with three minutes left when Bargnani collected a loose ball, layed it in and made the ensuing free-throw.
Despite a sloppy opening, the Raptors led 24-20 after a first quarter highlighted by a Jarrett Jack steal and slam about five minutes into the period.
Notes: Jack turned 27 on Thursday and for a gift, head coach Jay Triano said the team’s rookies sang Happy Birthday to him in the morning. “We had to teach it to them,” Triano added with a smirk. The players had a party at a nightclub planned for him after the game. ...
Bargnani’s three-pointer early in the second quarter gave him sole possession of third place on the Raptors’ all-time list. He and Doug Christie had been tied at 431. Morris Peterson is the all-time leader with 801, followed by Vince Carter’s 554. ... Parker and fellow former Raptor Jamario Moon were given nice ovations during pre-game introductions.