It was as if a switch turned off and the energy disappeared, as the Raptors got down and eventually got buried.
A horrid middle two quarters — 68 points given up on 58 per cent shooting for the Cavaliers — sent Toronto tumbling to its eighth straight defeat Sunday night, a new low in a season that’s had more than its fair share of them.
Cleveland’s 116-105 victory exposed a multitude of flaws in the Raptors that even a boisterous fourth quarter Toronto comeback could not deny.
The defence, which coach Nick Nurse felt showed signs of promise in a tough Friday loss to the NBA-leading Utah Jazz, regressed against the Cavaliers, who came into the game third-last in the Eastern Conference.