CLEVELAND — It wasn’t pretty, but the Cleveland Cavaliers did enough to grab a 2-0 series lead in what became a somewhat physical game. They defeated the Toronto Raptors 115-105 and are firmly in the driver’s seat as the series shifts north of the border.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson was concerned about his team’s intensity level to start Game 2 after a one-sided win two nights earlier. Those fears proved to be misplaced. The Cavs opened up with an eight-point advantage before the first timeout.
Defense, not offense, was the cause of the Cavs’ early lead. Dean Wade, James Harden, Sam Merrill, and whoever else ended up guarding Brandon Ingram did a good job of physically meeting him at the point of attack, making it difficult for him to get going.
The Raptors tried to get Ingram involved early after he was used more as a screener in Game 1 (much to his dissatisfaction). But Ingram wasn’t able to get to his spots easily, and he certainly wasn’t able to get into a rhythm. This led to him going 0-4 from the field for no points in the opening quarter. This, in turn, short-circuited Toronto’s offense, resulting in them scoring just 19 in the first.
The Cavs’ seven-point advantage after one shrank to six by the end of the second quarter. Both offenses got going, with Harden providing 10 points in that frame to fuel Cleveland’s.
Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković made his first substantial adjustments of the series to start the third quarter. He decided to start 6’7” forward Collin Murray-Boyles at center to open the second half in an attempt to go small and get back into the game. This neutralized some of the advantage the Cavs were able to create with the pick-and-roll because they could switch everything defensively. That strategy made sense, but it also created new problems.
Toronto’s going smaller made it easier for Mitchell and Harden to attack in isolation. The lack of a center meant there was no rim protection coming to help at the rim. And, the size mismatch meant that Toronto’s wings couldn’t afford to leave either Evan Mobley or Jarrett Allen alone. So instead of junking up the Cavs’ offense, it actually created more space.
The Cavs used this to their advantage. They extended their six-point advantage to 16 by the time backup big Sandro Mamukelashvili entered the game midway through the third quarter. The Raptors turned it around to close the third with just a seven-point deficit.
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Cleveland did what it’s done best since the trade deadline: they out-executed their opponent down the stretch in the half-court to grind out the victory.
The Cavs were once again led by their superstar backcourt. The Raptors don’t have an answer for either through two games. Whether or not they can find one over the next two will determine how long this series goes.
Mitchell made timely baskets every time the Cavs needed one. This included hitting several tough shots throughout the second and fourth quarters to keep the momentum in Cleveland’s favor. He had 30 points, five assists, and seven rebounds on 13-23 shooting in the win.
Meanwhile, Harden once again kept the offense on schedule — making sure they got a phenomenal shot every time down the court. He had 28 points, four assists, and five steals on 9-14 shooting.
The Raptors are at a size advantage inside — especially when they go small. Mobley made them pay both when they went small and used their more traditional lineups.
Atkinson likes to talk about Mobley playing forcefully going to the basket. This game showed why. Toronto really didn’t have an answer for him when he got a head of steam. Mobley was able to get whatever he wanted in the paint as he poured in 25 points on 11-13 shooting to go along with eight rebounds and two assists.
The Raptors were led by 26 points from Scottie Barnes on 11-19 shooting. RJ Barrett supplied 22 points on 10-13 shooting with nine rebounds and five assists.
Brandon Ingram was held to just seven points on 3-15 shooting. A lot of that success can be attributed to Dean Wade, who was once again phenomenal defensively.
The series moves to Canada for Game 3 on Thursday. Tip-off is at 8 PM.