Series Heads to Rajaković's Home Turf! Toronto Challenges Cavs, Cleveland Still Up 2-0 /VIDEO/

Pulse Sports Team 05:46 - 21 April 2026

Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points, James Harden added 28, and the Cleveland Cavaliers withstood a late surge to defeat the Toronto Raptors 115-105, taking a 2-0 lead in their first-round Eastern Conference series.

Evan Mobley contributed 25 points and eight rebounds for the Cavaliers, marking the second consecutive game, and fourth overall in the playoffs, where at least three of their players scored 25 or more points.

"They threw everything they had at us, changing up different schemes, but we stayed composed," said Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson.

"Donovan and James closed out the game, but I think our defense practically forced them into a small lineup. That's the beauty of the playoffs. They came at us hard, and we responded."

Cleveland, who never trailed in the game, extended their playoff winning streak against Toronto to 12 games, tying an NBA record for consecutive postseason victories against a single opponent. This streak began in the 2016 Eastern Conference Finals when the Cavaliers won the final two games. Cleveland then swept Toronto 4-0 in both the 2017 and 2018 second rounds.

The Cavaliers also hold 12-game winning streaks against Detroit and Atlanta, while the Los Angeles Lakers had a 12-game run against Seattle between 1980 and 1989.

Scottie Barnes led Toronto with a career-high 26 points in the playoffs. RJ Barrett added 22 points and nine rebounds.

The Raptors scored 16 fast-break points, a significant improvement after being held to a season-low three fast-break points on Saturday. However, Toronto committed 22 turnovers (a season-high), which led to 22 points for Cleveland.

"The game only slipped away from us when we made too many mistakes. We played with extreme fight, adapted to the flow of the game, and did certain things that helped us," Barnes stated.

The series now shifts to Toronto, with Game 3 scheduled for Thursday night. Harden recorded four assists, moving him to seventh place on the all-time playoff assists list with a total of 1,139 successful passes. He also had five steals, marking the fourth time he's achieved such a performance in a playoff game.

A driving layup from Barnes brought Toronto within 99-90 midway through the fourth quarter, but Mitchell responded with seven consecutive points to seal the victory. The Cavaliers held a 73-57 lead midway through the third quarter before the Raptors countered with a 16-6 run.