Cavs push Raptors to brink
- The Cavaliers lead the Raptors 2-0, and Toronto enters Game 3 on Thursday facing a must-win to avoid a 3-0 hole. - Jarrett Allen supplied 10 points, two steals, and three blocks in Cleveland’s early control of the matchup. - ESPN frames Game 3 as a season-defining moment for Toronto, with tip-off scheduled at 8 p.m. ET (espn.com).
Toronto is back at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday night with its first-round series against Cleveland already at 2-0. (espn.com) Game 3 is scheduled for April 23 at 8 p.m. Eastern, with Cleveland entering at 52-30 and Toronto at 46-36 after two Cavaliers wins in Ohio. (espn.com) Cleveland won Game 1, 126-113, on April 18 and took Game 2, 115-105, on April 20. Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points in Game 2, and James Harden added 28. (espn.com) Jarrett Allen helped set Cleveland’s tone in the opening stretch of the series with 10 points, two steals and three blocks, part of the interior defense that kept Toronto chasing from behind. (espn.com) The pressure on Toronto is tied to playoff history as much as the scoreboard. No National Basketball Association team has ever won a best-of-seven series after falling behind 3-0. (nba.com) Toronto has been in that spot before. The Raptors fell behind 3-0 to Philadelphia in the 2022 Eastern Conference first round, then extended the series before losing in six games. (nba.com) The matchup also flipped venues after Cleveland protected home court in the first two games. Toronto went 24-17 at home in the regular season, while Cleveland went 25-16 on the road. (espn.com) ESPN’s preview listed Raptors guards Immanuel Quickley, with a hamstring issue, and Ja’Kobe Walter, with an illness, as game-time decisions for Thursday. Cavaliers center Thomas Bryant was also listed as game-time with a calf injury. (espn.com) If Cleveland wins again on April 23, Toronto’s season moves to the edge of a deficit no team has erased. If the Raptors hold serve at home, the series is back in play heading to Game 4. (espn.com)
