Cavs Insider

Max Strus Brings The Third-Quarter Juice, Cavaliers Defeat Raptors

The Cavaliers swingman scored all 20 of his points in the third quarter, which tied his most in a quarter in his NBA career.

Logan Potosky

Max Strus Brings The Third-Quarter Juice, Cavaliers Defeat Raptors
Max Strus Brings The Third-Quarter Juice, Cavaliers Defeat Raptors /
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On Sunday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers trailed the Toronto Raptors by a score of 52-42 at halftime.

After Cleveland took a 38-32 lead with 7:23 left in the first half, Toronto went on to score the next 18 points, eventually ending the half on a 20-4 run.

The Cavaliers were in desperate need of a third-quarter spark to get back into the game.

Enter Max Strus.

After not scoring in the first half, Strus caught fire in the third period, lighting up the Raptors with 20 points. The 27-year-old shot 8-for-10 from the field in the quarter, including a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range.

Cleveland outscored Toronto 32-20 in the period, as Strus ultimately scored as many points in the period as the Raptors did as a team.

According to @CavsNotes on X, this was tied for the highest-scoring quarter of his NBA career, which he last achieved in 2021 with the Miami Heat.

Cleveland center Jarrett Allen was asked about what got into Strus to fuel his stellar third quarter performance.

“I’m not exactly sure,” Allen said. “I think he took Coach’s message personal. Just trying to play team ball. He felt like he was open on every shot, and he knocked them down.”

Strus’s full-game performance, though, was a critical part of Cleveland’s win.

He tallied his third double-double of the season, recording 11 rebounds, five assists, and a block along with his 20 third-quarter points.

Nov 26, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) and guard Max Strus (1) defend Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl (19) in the second quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse / © David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

According to @CavsNotes on X, the Cavaliers swingman now has more double-doubles this season than he did in his previous four NBA seasons combined.

Although Strus did not score in the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers were able to hold on for a thrilling 105-102 victory to end their two-game losing streak.

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Logan Potosky
LOGAN POTOSKY

Logan Potosky is an aspiring play-by-play sports broadcaster who, to date, has called approximately 350+ hours of professional, college, and high school sporting events. He is currently the Play-by-Play Broadcaster for the Lake County Captains, the High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. He graduated from John Carroll University in May of 2023 with a degree in Communication, with a concentration in Digital Media, and a minor in Entrepreneurship.

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