East-leading Cavaliers rout Raptors 131-108 for 8th win in 9 games

TORONTO (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 21 points and the East-leading Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Toronto Raptors 131-108 on Wednesday night for their fourth straight victory and eighth in the last nine games.

Tempers flared at the final buzzer after Cleveland’s Tristan Thompson dunked with four seconds left. Toronto’s Scottie Barnes and Jamal Shead confronted Thompson near center court for an exchange of words.

De’Andre Hunter scored 18 points, Sam Merrill had 16 and Darius Garland 15 for the Cavaliers in the final game for both teams before the All-Star break. Jarrett Allen added 13 points and 10 rebounds and Evan Mobley had 12 points and 15 rebounds

Hunter’s 3-pointer with 5:19 left in the third put the Cavs up 95-56. The 39-point edge was Cleveland’s biggest of the game.

RJ Barrett scored 27 points for Toronto after missing four games while he was in the concussion protocol. Barnes had 16 points and 11 rebounds. The Raptors have lost five of six.

Cavaliers: Cleveland completed a four-game season sweep of Toronto. Three of the four meetings were double-digit wins and the combined margin of victory was 73 points.

Raptors: Toronto trailed 68-43 at the intermission, its biggest halftime deficit of the season.

Max Strus scored nine of his 14 points as Cleveland took control of the game with a 23-4 run midway through the first quarter. The Cavs led 41-17 after one.

Cleveland improved to 19-6 on the road. Only Boston (22-6) has a better road record.

Cleveland is at Brooklyn on Feb. 20 in its first game following the break. The Raptors will host Miami on Feb. 21.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Cleveland Cavaliers' Jarrett Allen, left, protects the ball from Toronto Raptors' Orlando Robinson during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Toronto on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Cleveland Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell (45) is fouled by Toronto Raptors' Ochai Agbaji (30) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Toronto on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Cleveland Cavaliers' Darius Garland (10) drives through the Toronto Raptors defense during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Toronto on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Cleveland Cavaliers' Darius Garland, right, drives past Toronto Raptors' Jamal Shead (23) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Toronto, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Cleveland Cavaliers' Darius Garland, right, battles for the ball with Toronto Raptors' Gradey Dick during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Toronto on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Cleveland Cavaliers' Darius Garland (10) drives past Toronto Raptors' Ochai Agbaji (30) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Toronto on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Cleveland Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell (45) shoots over Toronto Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter (14) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Toronto on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Cleveland Cavaliers' Evan Mobley, center, protects the ball from Toronto Raptors' Scottie Barnes, left, and Orlando Robinson (21) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Toronto, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Cleveland Cavaliers' Evan Mobley (4) drives around Toronto Raptors' Jonathan Mogbo (2) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Toronto, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

HOUSTON (AP) — Now more than halfway to the moon, the Artemis II astronauts prepared for their historic lunar fly-around to push deeper into space than even the Apollo astronauts.

On the downside, their toilet is on the blink again.

The three Americans and one Canadian are set to reach their destination Monday, photographing the mysterious lunar far side as they zoom around. It is the first moon-bound crew in more than 53 years, picking up where NASA’s Apollo program left off.

“The Earth is quite small, and the moon is definitely getting bigger,” pilot Victor Glover reported.

Until the Orion capsule's bathroom is fixed, Mission Control has instructed the astronauts to break out more of the backup urine collection bags. The so-called lunar loo malfunctioned following Wednesday’s liftoff and has been hit-and-miss ever since. A version of the Artemis II toilet was tested on the International Space Station several years ago.

Engineers suspect ice may be blocking the line that is preventing urine from completely flushing overboard. The toilet is still open for No. 2 business.

Debbie Korth, NASA’s Orion program deputy manager, said the astronauts have also reported a smell coming from the bathroom, which is buried in the floor of the capsule with a door and curtain for privacy.

“Space toilets and bathrooms are something everybody can understand .. it’s always a challenge,” she said, noting that the space shuttle toilet was also often on the fritz.

John Honeycutt, chair of the mission management team, said it is human nature to be interested in the space commode, and even though it is “in a good state right now,” he’d like it to be working at 100%.

“They’re OK,” he said of the astronauts. “They trained to manage through the situation.”

Artemis II is poised to set a distance record for humans, traveling more than 252,000 miles (400,000 kilometers) from Earth before hanging a U-turn behind the moon and heading home without stopping or entering lunar orbit. The record is currently held by Apollo 13.

The Canadian Space Agency celebrated the country’s role in the mission, speaking from Quebec with astronaut Jeremy Hansen as he headed toward his lunar rendezvous. Hansen is the first non-U.S. citizen to fly to the moon.

“Today he is making history for Canada,” Canadian Space Agency President Lisa Campbell said. “As we watch him taking this bold step into the unknown, let his journey remind us that Canada’s future is written by those who dare to reach for more.”

In the live televised linkup, Hansen said he has already witnessed “extraordinary” views from NASA's Orion capsule.

Hansen, Glover, Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch are the world's first lunar astronauts since Apollo 17's crew of three in 1972. Koch and Glover are the first female and first Black astronauts to the moon, respectively.

Their nearly 10-day mission — ending with a Pacific splashdown on April 10 — is the first step in NASA's bold plans for a sustainable moon base. The space agency is aiming for a landing by two astronauts near the lunar south pole in 2028.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

In this undated photo provided by NASA on Saturday, April 4, 20206, Commander Reid Wiseman looks at the Earth from a window aboard the Orion spacecraft Integrity during the Artemis II mission en route to the moon. (NASA via AP)

This photo provided by NASA shows the moon seen from the Orion spacecraft Integrity during the Artemis II mission on Friday, April 3, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This photo provided by NASA shows the exterior of the Orion spacecraft Integrity during the Artemis II mission en route to the moon on Friday, April 3, 2026. (NASA via AP)

In this photo provided by NASA, astronaut Christina Koch, background left, is illuminated by a screen inside the darkened Orion spacecraft Integrity on the third day of the Artemis II mission, Friday, April 3, 2026. At right, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen looks out of one of Orion's windows. (NASA via AP)

In this image from video provided by NASA, Artemis II astronauts, from left, Reid Wiseman, Jeremy Hansen, Christina Koch and Victor Glover gather for an interview en route to the moon on Saturday, April 4, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This image provided by the Canadian Space Agency, Artemis II astronaut Jeremy Hansen of Canada, connects live from the Orion spacecraft and speaks with Canadian media along with astronauts Victor Glover, left, and Reid Wiseman on Saturday, April 4, 2026. (Canadian Space Agency via AP)

This image from video provided by NASA shows the Artemis II crew Commander Reid Wiseman, second from left, thanking the families of the crew while speaking with NASA Mission Control in a video conference while en route to the moon, Thursday, April 2, 2026, as Canadian astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, far left, looks on and mission specialist Christina Koch and pilot Victor Glover, far right, make hearts with their hands. (NASA via AP) CORRECTION: headed to the moon, not in moon's orbit

This image from video provided by NASA shows a view of earth taken by NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman from one of the Orion spacecraft's four windows after completing the translunar injection burn, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (NASA via AP)