Cavs withstand Raptors’ physical play to take 2-0 series lead
cavs-withstand-raptors-physical-play-game-2
The Cleveland Cavaliers absorbed every shove and scrape the Toronto Raptors delivered Monday night, leaving Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse with a 115-105 victory and a 2-0 advantage in their first-round matchup.
Cleveland never trailed, leaning on Donovan Mitchell and James Harden to silence each Raptors surge. Mitchell poured in 30 points, added seven rebounds and five assists, and buried several contested jumpers down the stretch. Harden supplied 28 points on 9-of-14 shooting, collected five steals and joined Mitchell in closing out Toronto after the margin shrank to six late in the fourth quarter.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson called it “a superstar game,” praising the backcourt for answering Toronto’s trademark physicality. “There were times last year we weren’t up to the task physically. That’s changed,” Atkinson said.
Evan Mobley helped set that tougher tone, finishing with 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting and eight rebounds. Jarrett Allen contributed 10 points, six boards and tied his playoff career high with three blocks while managing a lingering knee issue.
Toronto’s offense revolved around Scottie Barnes, who posted 26 points. RJ Barrett scored 22, and rookie reserve Collin Murray-Boyles added 17. The Raptors’ bench outscored Cleveland’s 45-16 and the visitors owned the glass 42-35, but their 42.7 percent shooting and 3-of-15 night from struggling wing Brandon Ingram (seven points) stalled several comeback bids. Cavaliers forward Dean Wade drew praise from Atkinson and Mitchell for shadowing Ingram.
Despite the win, Cleveland left room for improvement after going 14-for-22 at the foul line. “It’ll cost you games if you don’t fix it,” Mitchell noted.
The series shifts to Scotiabank Arena for Game 3 on Thursday. “They hit us with a hard shot today,” Atkinson said. “They’ll have to do it again, and we’ll have to resist.”
Source: Hoops Wire
