The Cleveland Cavaliers dropped their second straight game to the Toronto Raptors. The series is now tied 2-2, heading back to Cleveland.
All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.
Donovan Mitchell
20 points, 3 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 turnovers
We’ve seen the worst of Mitchell across the last two games. An overliance on jumpers. Not having the size to break free from Scottie Barnes in the halfcourt. And, most of all, being an option for the Raptors to attack offensively.
Mitchell finished the game shooting 6-24.
The Cavs won’t win another game this series if Mitchell doesn’t adjust. He’s been at the core of all their problems, failing to score efficiently or handle the ball with care.
Grade: F
James Harden
19 points, 8 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 7 turnovers
Harden had 6 turnovers in his first 14 minutes tonight. That’s what throwing a behind-the-back pass when you’re being double-teamed in the corner will do.
The decision-making on display was alarming. For a player who previously solved every problem thrown at him, it felt like Harden was blindfolded and throwing darts at a board in Toronto.
He eventually stabilized himself and had a strong second half. But I think more than enough damage was done in the first half to justify this grade.
Grade: D-
Evan Mobley
8 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
We’ve all agreed that Mobley will not lead this team in scoring, nor will he be the focal point of the offense. Yet, we all understand that if the Cavs want to go deep into the postseason — Mobely at least has to be capable of raising their floor on nights where the backcourt is struggling.
The grade speaks for itself.
Grade: F
Jarrett Allen
3 points, 15 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks
Allen is the only member of the core four who showed enough effort to fight defensively. His 15 rebounds and team-high plus/minus of +15 are a product of that.
Still, this was far from a good game. Allen went 1-5 from the floor and 1-4 from the free-throw line. The Cavs needed someone to elevate their offense by beating mismatches and finding easy opportunities. Allen didn’t come through.
Grade: D-
Dean Wade
7 points, 5 rebounds
Wade’s defensive impact is starting to be severely blunted by his role on offense. He doesn’t care to shoot the ball, so Toronto doesn’t care to defend him. This has made it easier for the Raptors to swarm the guards and pack the paint. The biggest problem is that the Cavs don’t have enough size on the wing to take Wade out of the rotation.
Grade: D
Max Strus
1 point, 7 rebounds
The Cavs sorely needed an offensive punch from Strus. He went 0-5 from the floor. A few three-pointers would have gone a long way to unsticking the offense.
Grade: D-
Keon Ellis
0 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist
Ellis has still only made one field goal in this series. He played just 4 minutes tonight.
Grade: F
Jaylon Tyson
9 points, 5 rebounds, 2 turnovers
It felt like Tyson was making the wrong reads tonight. He drove a few closeouts that probably should have been catch-and-shoot three-point attempts. He also turned it over in the short-roll, throwing a predictable pass to the dunker’s spot that was picked off.
All that said, the Cavs shouldn’t be needing Tyson to produce at this level to keep the offense running.
Grade: C-
Sam Merrill
14 points
Merrill hasn’t performed great so far in the postseason. But he did help to unjam the Cavaliers’ offense in the second half.
His frenetic off-ball movement and complete lack of fear with the ball in his hands go a long way. The Raptors can’t ignore him the same way they ignored Wade, and that put Toronto into motion defensively. That led to Merrill being arguably the most impactful offensive player for Cleveland.
Grade: C+
Dennis Schroder
8 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers
Schroder played the best two minutes of anyone on the roster tonight. So, there’s that.
He scored 8 points in rapid succession, taking Jakob Poeltl off the dribble and looking like the only player who cared about running a proper offense. That didn’t last for too long.
Grade: C-
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