NBA wrap: Cavs shock Raptors, Clippers crush Celtics
The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off an impressive 126-101 NBA victory over the high-flying Toronto Raptors on Monday.
Cleveland may be 14th in the Eastern Conference standings, but they were too good for the second-placed Raptors at Quicken Loans Arena.
Toronto made just 28.2 per cent of their three-pointers, while Cleveland shot 43.9 per cent.
Rookie guard Collin Sexton scored a game-high 28 points on 10-of-18 shooting for the Cavaliers.
Although Kawhi Leonard contributed 29 points and nine rebounds for the Raptors, Toronto could not close the gap on the road.
Cleveland improved to 17-50 with the win while Toronto dropped to 48-20.
Walker shines in defeat
Kemba Walker put up 40 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, but the Charlotte Hornets lost 116-108 to the Houston Rockets.
Bradley Beal fell just short of a triple-double, recording 27 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in the Washington Wizards’ 121-115 win against the Sacramento Kings.
Lou Williams scored 34 points on 14-of-20 shooting as the Los Angeles Clippers routed the Boston Celtics 140-115.
Griffin struggles as Pistons lose
Blake Griffin scored 10 points on just one-of-10 shooting in the Detroit Pistons’ 103-75 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
Joe Ingles scored five points on two-of-nine shooting as the Utah Jazz went down to the Oklahoma City Thunder 98-89.
Williams makes history
Williams became the NBA’s all-time leader in bench scoring with this layup.
With this bucket, @TeamLou23 becomes the #NBA all-time leader in points scored off the bench! #ClipperNation pic.twitter.com/yKMhGarSVN— NBA (@NBA) March 12, 2019
Monday’s results
Cleveland Cavaliers 126-101 Toronto Raptors
Brooklyn Nets 103-75 Detroit Pistons
Washington Wizards 121-115 Sacramento Kings
Houston Rockets 118-106 Charlotte Hornets
Oklahoma City Thunder 98-89 Utah Jazz
Los Angeles Clippers 140-115 Boston Celtics
Trail Blazers at Clippers
The Clippers are riding a five-game winning streak. The Portland Trail Blazers has dropped down to fifth in the Western Conference standings and will need to perform in the coming weeks to secure a home-court advantage in the postseason.
