Kyrie Irving shot a 3-pointer with 0.7 seconds left to lift the Cleveland Cavaliers over the Toronto Raptors for a 99-98 victory on Saturday night.
Irving is passing through one of the best phases of his playing years. He had his first All-Star selection and had some outstanding performances like 40 points against Boston and 35 points against Milwaukee.
''He's just playing at an unbelievably high level right now,'' Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said.
Irving had a pull-up jumper just before the buzzer ensured the third straight win of the Cavaliers.
''I wanted to get a win,'' The Associated Press quoted Irving as saying. ''It was personal for me. In a year and a half of being in the NBA, I hadn't gotten a win against Toronto. To hit a game-winner and beat them on their home court feels good.''
Catch defender Alan Anderson appreciated Irving for his 3-point shot from the long range.
''I think (Irving) caught Alan off guard a little bit because he was so far out and hit a tough shot,'' Raptors coach Dwane Casey said.
For the Cavaliers, Irving was the top scorer with 32 points, Marreese Speights added 17 points and five rebounds off the bench, Tristan Thompson had 14 points and Wayne Ellington finished with 12.
Speights said he was very impressed with Irving's performance.
''I respected him before I got here but now I see how his game really is I respect him a lot,'' Speights said. ''He's a great player.''
For the Raptors, Amir Johnson scored 18 points and chipped in 12 rebounds, Anderson had 17 points and Ed Davis contributed with 16.
''Kyrie threw up a bomb and made a heck of a shot,'' Johnson said.
Toronto got off to a good start by scoring 25 points and limiting the Cavaliers to 19 points to take a six-point lead in the first quarter.
Cleveland played better in the second quarter and outscored the Raptors 27-25.
Toronto entered the third quarter with four-point lead. They outscored the Cavaliers 25-20 in the third quarter to extend their lead to nine points.
Anderson started the fourth quarter with a layup to give the Raptors an 11-point lead, but Ellington hit two 3-pointers as the Cavaliers had a 12-2 run to have 79-78 lead with 9:21 remaining in the game.
''They went on a heck of a run that broke our back,'' Casey said.
llington's third 3-pointer increased the Cavaliers' lead to 88-87 with 4:44 left. Then Irving hit a pair of free throws and a layup. Eventually the Cavaliers outscored the Raptors 33-23 to win the game.
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