A Max Strus quarter for the ages was all that stood between the Raptors and a very big win in Cleveland on Sunday night.
Oddly enough, those 20 points would be the only scoring Strus contributed in the game.
It still came down to the wire with Darius Garland — the other thorn in the Raptors side all night — putting the Cavaliers ahead to stay, 103-99, with a driving bucket around Scottie Barnes with 20 seconds remaining for what turned out to be the winning basket.
Dennis Schroder got the Raptors back to within one with a three-pointer, but Donovan Mitchell all but iced it with a pair of free throws with nine seconds left.
Toronto had a chance to force overtime but a Gary Trent Jr. three-ball attempt was denied by the large presence of Jarrett Allen as the Cavs played the Raptors’ final possession to perfection.
It was an odd game with both teams not only enjoying runs on their opponent — as happens every night in the NBA — but having dominant stretches in which it looked like they would completely take over the game.
The Raptors held Cleveland scoreless for five minutes during a second-quarter stretch in which they outscored their hosts 18-0.
That was what got them the big lead going into the second half.
But then Strus got red-hot in the third quarter and Cleveland, a team that has struggled defensively for most of the year, found its mojo and put the clamps down on their guests.
Garland would finish with a game-high 24 points after sitting out most of Cleveland’s loss on Saturday night against the Lakers with a neck ailment.
Credit the Cavs medical team for getting him back in form because he certainly didn’t look like a guy playing with any issues. He also had a team-high eight assists.
Despite the loss there was plenty to like in this one, starting with the play of Jakob Poeltl, who was a force inside against an imposing Cleveland frontcourt that includes Allen and Evan Mobley.
Allen got into some early foul trouble but Poeltl was a force inside regardless of who the Cavs put out there against him. He finished with a team-high 18 points — as did Pascal Siakam — and pulled down 13 rebounds.
Poeltl is making quick decisions when he goes to the rim and that has made for some easy baskets for the Raptors big man. He and Siakam have formed a nice down-low tandem, finding each other regularly deep in the opponent’s paint these past handful of games.
Trent, once again, was impactful coming off the bench in the first half. He had 11 points in the first quarter alone, but then cooled off to finish with 13.
The Raptors remain out on the road for one more game — Tuesday night in Brooklyn — where they will take on Nets, who are still alive in the NBA’s in-season tournament.