LeBron James scored 24 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers exacted some revenge over a Raptors team missing DeMar DeRozan, beating Toronto 105-91.
"Tonight we couldn't buy a bucket. We couldn't hit the side of a barn with a bass fiddle," Casey said. "We're better than that.
"Our bad offensive shooting night. . . made our defence even worse. It was a snowball effect. They whupped us, they spanked us."
Amir Johnson had a season-high 27 points, and Kyle Lowry added 22 points and nine assists. But that wasn't enough to carry an East-leading Raptors team (15-5) that had only three players score in double figures — James Johnson finished with 11.
Tristan Thompson of Brampton, Ont., finished with season highs for both points (21) and rebounds (14) for the Cavs (11-7), who stretched their winning streak to six games.
The Raptors had topped the Cavaliers 110-93 on Nov. 22, battling back from a 19-point first-quarter deficit. The result worked as a wakeup call for Cleveland, who promptly went on a five-game winning streak.
They made it six Friday night, leading from the opening whistle in front of a star-studded Air Canada Centre capacity crowd of 19,800 that included NBA legends Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley and Dikembe Mutombo, who gave his signature finger wag to the ACC crowd when shown on the Jumbotron.
"Just missing shots," Lowry said on the loss. "I don't think it was anything we did differently, G (Greivis Vasquez) had a rough night (shooting 2-for-11), I had a rough night (7-for-18). We'll come in to the gym on Sunday and get our shots up, and I'm sure the shots we missed tonight will fall Monday (when the Raptors host Denver)."
Johnson, Barkley, Mutombo, and Tracy McGrady were in Toronto as part of the Raptors' celebration of Nelson Mandela, who died a year ago to the day.
"It was a beautiful day," Casey said. "To see (Johnson, Barkley and Mutombo), all the guys that were a big part of the NBA's history, and just the message that Nelson Mandela sent throughout the world was huge.
"It's bigger than basketball, and that was the theme of the night for our players. I lived it, I went through it, I understand it. And it meant a lot to our players and it was a magnificent night for our organization."
On the court, however, the Raptors — now 2-2 without DeRozan, who's out with a torn groin tendon — were flat-footed all night. They trailed by as many as 14 points and went into the fourth down 76-64.
The Raptors managed to pull within six points three times in the final 12 minutes, and a dunk by Amir Johnson pulled them to within 97-91 with 1:53 to play. But that was as close as they would get.
"I know this team tonight wasn't us," Casey said. "First game back from a west-coast trip, the worst team you want to see is a team as talented as Cleveland."
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