The Cleveland Cavaliers dethroned the Toronto Raptors to obtain Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series on Saturday night.
Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs with 32 points, Max Strus added 24, James Harden tallied 22 points and 10 assists, and Evan Mobley added 17 and seven rebounds.
Strus had his playoff career high in points, despite missing the first 67 games this season with a broken left foot that occurred during offseason training.
On the other hand, RJ Barrett led the Raptors with 24 points, and Scottie Barnes had 21, as the Raptors played in their first playoff game since 2022.
Meanwhile, Toronto was missing point guard Immanuel Quickley because of a mild right hamstring strain.
James Shead took over Quickley and contributed 17 points, including five three-pointers.
Barrett sank a triple to pull Toronto with a 45-41 before the Cavaliers broke it open with a 27-9 run over the last 1:11 of the second and first seven minutes of the third.
The Cavaliers’ largest lead was 24 points, 100-76, as Sam Merrill hit a 3-pointer 13 seconds into the fourth quarter.
The Raptors came into the game averaging a league-leading 18.9 points per game, but Cleveland held them to a season-low three.
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