PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Jarrett Allen scored a career-high 40 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as the Cleveland Cavaliers handed the Portland Trail Blazers their fifth straight loss with a 130-111 victory Sunday night.
Sam Merrill added 22 points, including six 3-pointers, and the Cavaliers bounced back from a loss to the Phoenix Suns on Friday night that snapped a five-game winning streak. Allen also contributed five assists and four blocks.
Caleb Love had 21 points for the Blazers, who struggled without leading scorer Deni Avdija. He missed the game due to a lower back strain.
Portland trailed by 24 points, but narrowed the gap in the fourth quarter, pulling within 106-96 with 7:32 left in the game. The Cavaliers went ahead 118-104 on Merrill’s three-pointer with 4:15 left, and fans began to head for the exits.
Before the game, Avdija earned his first All-Star selection when he was chosen as a Western Conference reserve. Cleveland star Donovan Mitchell was selected as a reserve in the Eastern Conference.
With the transfer deadline approaching, both teams made trades before the game. The Cavs acquired guards Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder from Sacramento in a three-team trade that sent forward De’Andre Hunter to the Kings. The Chicago Bulls received Dario Saric from Sacramento along with draft picks as part of the deal.
Portland acquired forward Vit Krejci from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for injured center Duop Reath and a pair of draft picks.
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Sports in Spanish AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
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