Cavaliers Take 61–54 Halftime Lead Over Raptors in Game 1
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CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers carry a 61–54 advantage into halftime against the Toronto Raptors in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round series on Saturday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Key performers: James Harden paced Cleveland with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting and added six assists. Center Jarrett Allen chipped in 6 points and snared a game-high 14 rebounds. Brandon Ingram led Toronto with 13 points, while RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes each scored 11.
Team numbers: Both clubs shot 53 percent from the field during the opening half, but the Cavaliers won the glass 27-18 and converted 13 of 17 free throws, compared with the Raptors’ 4 of 9. Toronto committed nine turnovers; Cleveland had eight.
Second-quarter swing: Max Strus knocked down a 25-foot three-pointer with 25.3 seconds left, pushing the Cavaliers’ lead to 61–51 before Barrett answered from long range. Cleveland’s largest margin in the half reached 10 points.
The officiating crew consists of Sean Corbin, Tony Brothers, Karl Lane and Brent Barnaky. ESPN’s win-probability model listed Cleveland with an 80.5 percent chance to claim the opener at the break.
Injury report
Toronto remains without guard Immanuel Quickley (hamstring) and rookie guard Chucky Hepburn (knee). Cleveland is missing center Thomas Bryant (calf). None are expected back before Game 2 on Monday.
Series schedule
Game 2 stays in Cleveland before the best-of-seven shifts to Toronto for Games 3 and 4. If necessary, the teams would return to Ohio for Game 5, head north for Game 6 and, if required, play a decisive Game 7 in Cleveland.
The winner of the series advances to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Source: ESPN
