TORONTO -- Jonas Valanciunas scored 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds but it wasn't enough to lift the Raptors past the Cleveland Cavaliers in a 120-112 loss Wednesday night.
LeBron James had 29 points and 14 assists for the Cavs (39-24).
DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points, while Lou Williams had 21 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter for the Raptors (38-23), who rested all-star guard Kyle Lowry for the third straight night.
Terrence Ross finished with 12 points, while James Johnson added 11.
Kyrie Irving added 26 points for Cleveland.
The Raptors, who were coming off a 114-103 win at Philadelphia on Monday that snapped a season-game five-game losing skid, trailed by as many as 19 points in the third quarter, but dug in their heels late in the frame to pull to within 84-74 heading into the fourth quarter.
There were some heated moments late in the third when Valanciunas wrapped up his arms around James, pulling the Cavs superstar to the floor. Valanciunas was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul, but the Air Canada Centre capacity crowd of 19,800 -- except for the fans in No. 23 James jerseys -- loved it.
Williams took over in the fourth, scoring 11 of the team's first 13 points, and drilling a three to put the Raptors up 93-91 just under four minutes into the frame.
Ross hit a spectacular buzzer-beating three-pointer with 6:14 to play that had the Raptors up by one, but the Cavaliers, fresh off their 110-79 victory over Boston the previous night in Cleveland, took control down the stretch.
When James scored on a driving layup with 56 seconds left, it capped a 7-0 Cavs run and put the visitors up by nine points, guaranteeing their eighth victory in 10 games, and sending Raptors fans home unhappy.
DeRozan led the way with 12 points in a first quarter that saw Toronto shoot 48 per cent. They trailed the Cavaliers 28-25 heading into the second.
A driving layup by Irving late in the second capped a 12-2 Cavaliers run that gave that visitors a 48-36 lead. Irving's driving layup with 10 seconds on the clock sent the Cavs into the dressing room at halftime leading 57-43.
The Raptors depart for a three-game road trip that will take them through Charlotte, Oklahoma City and San Antonio. They're back home to host the Miami Heat on March 13.
