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 Cavs rebounded 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 top scorer Deni Avdija. He missed the game with a lower back strain.

Portland trailed by 24 but closed the gap in the final quarter, pulling to 106-96 with 7:32 left. The Cavaliers went up 118-104 on Merrill's 3-pointer with 4:15 remaining, and fans streamed toward the exits.

Before the game, Avdija earned his first All-Star nod when he was selected as a Western Conference reserve. Cleveland star Donovan Mitchell was chosen as a reserve in the Eastern Conference.

With the trade deadline approaching, both teams made deals ahead of the game. The Cavs acquired guards Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder from Sacramento in a three-team swap 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.

The Cavaliers jumped out to an early 11-point lead, but Love's 3-pointer pulled Portland to 43-41 with just more than five minutes left in the first half. The Cavs led 57-48 at the break.

Dean Wade hit back-to-back 3s to stretch Cleveland's lead to 66-52 in the third quarter.

Blazers guard Blake Wesley played for first time since October after recovering from foot surgery, entering the game in the opening quarter.

Up next

The Cavaliers visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.

The Trail Blazers host Phoenix on Tuesday night.

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

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Deni Avdija's breakout season earned him an All-Star nod.

The Portland Trail Blazers forward was named as a Western Conference reserve on Sunday night. He was among 14 reserves announced for the All-Star showcase on Feb. 15 in Inglewood, California.

Avdija is the first Israeli to be named an NBA All-Star. The 25-year-old was born in Beit Zera, a kibbutz on the southern shore of the Sea of Galilee.

Nicknamed “Turbo,” Avdija is averaging career bests of 25.5 points and 6.7 assists along with 7.2 rebounds in 44 games. He's one of three players averaging at least 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists, joining Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic.

“Proud of him. I know he cares about this team,” Blazers coach Tiago Splitter said. “When you see a person like that succeeding, it’s truly special.”

The 6-foot-8 Avdija has three triple-doubles this season. He has reached double figures in assists nine times and scored 20 or more points 35 times.

Shooting 46.7% from the field, Avdija has helped steady the rebuilding Blazers through a series of injures. Portland was 23-26 and in ninth in the Western Conference heading into Sunday's game against Cleveland.

Avdija was sidelined by a sore back against the Cavaliers, the sixth game he's missed in the past 10.

He’s the 17th player in Blazers history to be named an All-Star and the first since Damian Lillard in 2023.

Avdija is in his second season with the Blazers after spending his first four years with the Washington Wizards, who drafted him in the first round in 2020.

This season’s All-Star showcase has a tournament format — U.S. vs. the World, with three teams of at least eight players playing 12-minute games in a round-robin format. The top two teams will meet for the championship.

Avdija is set to join Doncic, Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama, among others, on the World team.

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