2-21 Cleveland 86 Toronto 85

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Cleveland 86 Toronto 85

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The surprising Toronto Raptors hope the NBA All-Star break did not halt their momentum as they look for their ninth consecutive home victory Wednesday night
in a matchup with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

One of the hottest teams in the league heading into the break, Toronto (29-24) is on its longest home winning streak since setting a franchise record with 10 consecutive victories spanning the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons. The Raptors' longest single-season win streak at home is a nine-game run from March 7-April 4, 1999.

Toronto beat New Jersey 120-109 at Air Canada Centre last Wednesday to extend its lead in the Atlantic Division to 4 1/2 games over the Nets. The Raptors are 27-16 since opening the season with eight losses in their first 10 games.

NBA.com Raptors Look to Continue Their Home Streak; Host Cavaliers

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TORONTO, Feb. 21 (AP) -- Anderson Varejao's dunk over Chris Bosh upstaged LeBron James and put some distance between Cleveland and Toronto in the standings.

James scored 29 points and Varejao slammed home teammate Sasha Pavlovic's missed shot with 16 seconds left to lift the Cavaliers to an 86-85 victory over the Raptors on Wednesday night.

Varejao had 16 points and 15 rebounds for the second-place Cavaliers, who moved three games ahead of Toronto in the Eastern Conference. Indiana also beat Milwaukee night to overtake Toronto for fourth.

A double-teamed James passed to an open Pavlovic, whose 3-point attempt hit the rim before Varejao emphatically dunked it before falling to the floor for the final points of the game.

NBA.com Varejao’s Follow Dunk Lifts Cavs Past Raptors