Wire-to-Wire 115-105 Win in Game 2

*** After taking Game 1 on Saturday afternoon, the Wine and Gold used the same formula to take Game 2 – riding their All-Star backcourt, pounding the paint with Evan Mobley, and completely shutting down Toronto’s top scorer in a wire-to-wire 115-105 victory at Rocket Arena. 

The trio of Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and Mobley combined for 83 points and Cleveland’s collective defense – spearheaded by Dean Wade – held Brandon Ingram to seven points on 3-for-15 shooting as the Cavaliers take a 2-0 First Round series lead back to Toronto.

The Raptors stayed within striking distance through the first half, but Cleveland opened up a double-digit lead midway through the third quarter when Jarrett Allen’s hook shot put the Cavs up 16. Toronto clawed its way back to within six halfway through the fourth, but the Cavs big three squashed the rally, with Donovan Mitchell’s finger-roll capping a 14-4 run to put the contest out of reach. 

Offensively, Mitchell notched his second straight 30-point game in the series, notching a game-high 30 points on 13-for-23 shooting, including 4-of-10 from long-range, adding seven boards a team-high five assists and a steal. The seven-time All-Star has now topped the 30-point plateau in six of his last postseason outings. 

Harden followed up with 28 points, going 9-for-14 from the floor, including 3-of-8 from deep and 7-for-10 from the stripe to go with five rebounds, four assists and a game-high five steals – four of those in the second half. 

“You have a guy (Harden) who can create his own offensive for himself and for others,” said Mitchell. “And I’ve been saying it since he got here, it’s not always going to be perfect, but he makes it tough. You have to figure out how you’re going to guard him. He runs the pick-and-roll with Evan. Do you help off me? Do you stay? And there’s possessions where you can stand in the corner and let him be him.”

Mobley was almost unstoppable, going 11-for-13 from the floor for 25 points, adding eight boards and a block. 

“I’m just trusting the work, trusting the process,” said Mobley, who’s shooting 78 percent from the floor through the first two games of the series. “I got hurt a couple times and was in and out (earlier) this season. But once I got my feet down and stable and started to get my groove back, it’s just been up from there. I’m going to just continue on that path, and continue with confidence. And it’s just up from here.”

Jarrett Allen was the only other Cavalier in double-figures with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, but he was dominant defensively, leading both teams with three blocks to go with a pair of steals and finishing with a game-high +18 mark in 25 minutes of work. 

Dean Wade finished with only three points, five boards and a block, but for the second straight game he completely flummoxed Toronto’s Ingram – holding him to a single shot attempt in the second half of Game 1 and without a field goal until the 9:24 mark of the third quarter on Monday night. 

“It’s a luxury to have a 6-9 wing that you can use as stopper on a point guard, you can use him on a wing,” praised Coach Kenny Atkinson. “He’s been phenomenal so far. I know (Ingram), he’s going to keep coming at you, but Dean made him work for everything he got.”

On the offensive end, the Cavaliers shot 53 percent from the floor and defensively, turned the Raptors over 22 times. After allowing 35 free throw attempts on Saturday, Cleveland only put them on the stripe 17 times on Monday, with just six attempts by the starting five. 

Toronto still managed to outrebound the Wine and Gold, 42-35, and scored 64 points in the paint. Their second unit outscored Cleveland’s, 45-19, but featured only two starters – Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett – in double-figures. 

Overall, the Cavaliers have now won 12 straight postseason meetings against the Raptors and are 14-2 against them all-time in the playoffs, including a 9-0 mark in Cleveland. The last time Toronto topped the Wine and Gold in the playoffs was May 23, 2016. 

*** After cruising past the Raptors on Monday to take a 2-0 series lead, the Wine and Gold hit the road for the next two, traveling to Toronto for Game 3 on Thursday night followed by a Sunday afternoon (1 p.m. ET) meeting on Sunday for Game 4. If necessary, the series returns to Cleveland next Wednesday night, shifts back to Toronto next Friday and, if the First Round matchup goes the distance, back at Rocket Arena the following Sunday.