The Cleveland Cavaliers exorcised some of their demons in their Game 5 win over the Toronto Raptors. They overcame a double-digit second-half deficit to pull out a much-needed victory. They now have a 3-2 lead as the series shifts back to Canada.
Despite the win, the series isn’t over yet. This Raptors team has found ways to continually pull themselves off the mat, even though they’ve been missing key players throughout this series.
The Cavs have a chance to show that they’ve learned from the mistakes that plagued them in games 3 and 4. And if they’re going to do that, they’ll likely need more from Donovan Mitchell.
Mitchell is having an uncharacteristically inefficient series, especially in the last three games. Since Game 3, he’s averaging just 18 points, three assists, and three turnovers on .351/.333/1.000 shooting splits. We’ll see if that changes in this closeout game.
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Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (3-2) at Toronto Raptors (2-3)
Where: Scotiabank Arena – Toronto, ON
When: Fri., May 1 at 7:30 PM
TV: Prime Video
Point spread: Cavs -3.5
Cavs injury report: None
Raptors injury report: Brandon Ingram – QUESTIONABLE (heel), Immanuel Quickley – OUT (hamstring)
Cavs expected starting lineup: James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen
Raptors expected starting lineup: Jakobe Walter, RJ Barrett, Jamison Battle, Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl
Previous matchup: The Cavs defeated the Raptors 125-120 in Game 5.
Here’s a look at both teams’ regular-season impact stats via Cleaning the Glass.
|
Offensive Rating |
Defensive Rating |
Net Rating |
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Cavs |
118.9 (8th) |
115 (15th) |
+3.9 (9th) |
|
Raptors |
116.8 (13th) |
113.2 (7th) |
+3.6 (11th) |
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