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Danny Cunningham: #Cavs comeback to beat the Raptors 125-120. It was far from Cleveland's best, but it was good enough. Harden and Mobley both had 23 points, Mitchell had 19. Dennis Schroder had 19 off the bench and may have saved Cleveland's season. Cavs lead the series 3-2.
Josh Lewenberg: The Raptors have still never won a playoff game in Cleveland, now 0-10 here all-time. They'll have to do it if they're going to steal this series, but first: a must-win Game 6 at home on Friday. Cavs up 3-2. Season on the line.
The Sixers’ Nick Nurse is widely believed to be under pressure too, meaning Sunday’s loss to Boston, which put them in a 3-1 hole, qualifies as a step in the wrong direction. The same can be said for Cleveland’s Kenny Atkinson, whose Cavs did the James Harden deal in February with the expectation that they would return to title-contender status but who, after falling 93-89 to Toronto on Sunday, are now tied 2-2 with the Raptors. Game 5 is in Cleveland on Wednesday.
Force was a clear theme — a word used more than 20 times in Cleveland’s postgame locker room. “We weren’t forceful enough,” Donovan Mitchell said. “I think the force is the biggest thing.” Toronto’s Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett led all scorers with 33 points apiece. Raptors rookie Collin Murray-Boyles added 22 off the bench. Battle, the unsung hero who logged just three minutes in the first two games, chipped in with 14 points. Across five games against Cleveland, with the regular season included, the former Buckeye has now gone 13 of 14 from the field. “He’s a shooter,” Mitchell said of Battle. “If you give a guy an open a look, once you see one go in, it goes from there. Credit to him, credit to them. But we’ve got to get better.”
Danny Cunningham: #Cavs beat the Raptors 115-105 in Game 2. Mitchell, Harden and Mobley were all outstanding in a wire-to-wire win for Cleveland. That trio combined for 83 points and the Raptors might just not have an answer for Cleveland's high-end talent. Cleveland leads the series 2-0.
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Cavs Notes: After a 126-113 win today, the @cavs lead the Raptors 1-0 in their First Round matchup. Cleveland has also won 11 straight playoff games vs. Toronto.
Danny Cunningham: #Cavs beat the Toronto Raptors in Game 1 126-113. Donovan Mitchell led all scorers with 32 points, Max Strus had 24 off the bench, James Harden had 22 & 10 and Evan Mobley had 17. A relatively stress-free win for the Cavs. Cleveland leads the series 1-0.
You know I have to ask, but has anything changed about the way you see the extension? Donovan Mitchell: I love Cleveland. I’ve said it before: I want to play here for as long as I can. And the goal is to win — as long as we’re continuing to win at the highest level. But I love it, man. It’s a place that I feel like I can call home, you know what I mean? And I feel good. My fiance (singer/songwriter and actress Coco Jones) feels good about it.
He won a championship in Cleveland with Irving, then lost him for the 2017-18 season. Lue’s managed veteran-heavy rosters and big personalities. Through it all, he has remained steadfast. “When you’re struggling, you’ve got to be even-keeled,” Lue said. “I don’t think you can beat up a team that’s struggling, that’s going through a lot, especially when they’re giving everything they have. And when you’re shorthanded and you’re limited, it’s gonna be tough nights. I just gotta keep encouraging our guys, continue to keep giving them confidence.”
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The Raptors are going to the playoffs for the first time since 2023 after a 136-101 win over Brooklyn. They finish 46-36, a 16-win jump from last year. Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram and RJ Barrett combined for 69 points on just 36 field-goal attempts.
Bobby Marks: 7 teams will finish over the luxury tax and pay a penalty - Cleveland ($68.7M) - Golden State (67.9M) - New York ($44.4M) - LA Lakers ($22.2M) - Houston ($7.2M) - LA Clippers ($6.7M) - Minnesota ($6M) - Projected payment to the 23 teams is $4.9M This is the lowest tax distribution since 2020-21
Dennis Schroeder: “With Atlanta, we won more than sixty games and really believed we could win the championship. The chemistry was there. Then we played Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals. In the first game, J.R. Smith hit a bunch of threes, LeBron felt good in front of our home crowd, and they beat us badly. Then they won again. We went to Cleveland telling ourselves we were still alive, but then it became 3-0 and eventually we got swept by LeBron James in his prime. At some point you have to admit that a guy like that, with a team defending at that level around him, was just too much. It was the same with Denver against the Lakers in 2023. Sometimes another team is just better in that round. But giving up is never the answer. Even at 0-3, you still think you can win the next game.”
