Donovan Mitchell and James Harden spearheaded the Cavaliers’ hot offensive start, leading Cleveland to a 54-48 halftime lead over the Toronto Raptors in Game 2 of their first-round series.
Mitchell had 15 points, while Harden added 16 on 6-of-9 shooting. The two combined to hit five of Cleveland’s six three-pointers in the opening half.
Rookie Collin Murray-Boyles, Sandro Mamukelashvili, and R.J. Barrett led the Raptors with eight first-half points apiece.
The Cavaliers got off to a quick start in the first quarter, nailing six of their first seven shots from the floor while forcing three Raptors turnovers to take a 15-7 lead five minutes into the contest. Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic responded by taking an early timeout to regroup.
The Raptors trailed 26-19 after the first frame and received zero points from Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram on combined 0-for-5 shooting. Ingram finished the half with zero points on 0-of-5 shooting.
The Raptors closed the deficit early in the second quarter, getting as close as two points thanks to a 7-0 run, but Cavaliers’ star Donovan Mitchell quickly answered with his second triple of the half. The Cavs would go on another run of their own to extend the lead back to nine, forcing Rajakovic to take another timeout to stop the bleeding with 8:54 remaining in the half.
Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley was ruled out for Game 2 as he continues to recover from a right hamstring strain. He had a good workout and is ‘progressing’ according to Rajakovic, but was not in a position to return tonight.
Jamal Shead scored 17 points in Saturday’s 126-113 loss, including five 3-pointers.
Game 3 shifts to Toronto on Thursday.
