Cavs up 2-0
- The Cleveland Cavaliers have taken a 2-0 lead over the Toronto Raptors in their first-round series. (x.com) - Game recaps and social posts emphasize the Cavs’ early control of the matchup. (x.com) - The start adds immediate pressure on the lower-seeded Raptors to respond in Game 3. (x.com)
Cleveland has a 2-0 lead over Toronto after opening the first-round series with home wins of 126-113 on April 18 and 115-105 on April 20. (nba.com) The Cavaliers are getting top-end scoring from multiple stars: Donovan Mitchell is averaging 31.0 points in the series, and he scored 32 in Game 1 and 30 in Game 2. (nba.com; espn.com; espn.com) Game 2 showed how Cleveland has controlled the matchup even when Toronto made runs. The Cavaliers never trailed, built a 73-57 lead midway through the third quarter, and closed the game after Mitchell scored seven straight points in the fourth. (espn.com) Toronto has had production from its top players, but the mistakes have piled up. Scottie Barnes scored a playoff career-high 26 points in Game 2, RJ Barrett added 22, and the Raptors still lost after committing a season-high 22 turnovers that led to 22 Cleveland points. (espn.com) The bracket context is tight. Cleveland is the No. 4 seed, Toronto is No. 5, and the series now shifts to Toronto for Game 3 on Thursday, April 23, at 8 p.m. Eastern. (nba.com) That 2-0 start has also flipped the tone of the matchup. Toronto swept the regular-season series 3-0, but Cleveland has won the first two playoff games by 13 and 10 points. (nba.com; espn.com; espn.com) There is history in the pairing, too. Cleveland’s Game 2 win gave the franchise 12 straight playoff victories over Toronto, tying the National Basketball Association postseason record for consecutive wins against one opponent, according to the Associated Press report carried by ESPN. (espn.com) Cleveland’s edge has come from more than one player. James Harden scored 22 points with 10 assists in Game 1, then added 28 points, five steals and four assists in Game 2, while Evan Mobley scored 25 points in the second game. (espn.com; espn.com) Toronto now goes home needing a response before the series margin widens further. Game 3 is the Raptors’ first home date in the matchup, and Game 4 follows in Toronto on Sunday, April 26. (nba.com)
