Raptors Upset by Tristan Thompson’s Late Dunk in Cavs’ Blowout Victory

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ 131-108 blowout victory over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night was marred by a late dunk from Tristan Thompson that sparked a confrontation between players and coaches.

With just four seconds remaining in the game, Thompson, who hails from nearby Brampton, punctuated the Cavaliers’ dominant performance with a two-handed slam. The move was met with boos from the Toronto crowd, and afterward, Raptors players Scottie Barnes and Jamal Shead confronted Thompson to express their frustration.

Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic didn’t mince words about Thompson’s action, calling it “disrespectful.”

“I think what Tristan did there was no class and disrespectful,” Rajakovic said. “I’m not going to stand for that, for sure. I love when my team stands up for themselves. That was no class.”

Even Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson was caught off guard by Thompson’s late-game decision. While Atkinson defended Thompson, suggesting it was an instinctual reaction, he admitted, “I’m not sure what he was thinking. Sometimes, though, you’re playing the game and you just have a reaction. I know with Tristan, there’s no bad intention there. I think just sometimes you’re playing and the goal of the game is to score. Unfortunate.”

Barnes declined to comment on the situation, while Shead echoed his coach’s sentiment, saying, “What he did at the end of the game was just a little bit disrespectful to the game of basketball, not just us. We had a couple of choice words. We’re adults, we’ll move on from it.”

Raptors forward RJ Barrett, also from Canada, said he understood why his teammates were upset. “It’s kind of an unwritten rule to not do that at the end,” Barrett noted. “Jamal did what he’s supposed to.”

The Cavaliers’ victory marked their 44th win of the season, the most in the NBA, and set a new franchise record for wins before the All-Star break. Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 21 points in the rout.

Though the final moments of the game left a bitter taste for the Raptors, the Cavs’ dominant performance and franchise milestone were the dominant storylines of the night.