Cavs‑Raptors Game 3

Cleveland takes a 2-0 lead into Toronto tonight, with Game 3 set for 8 p.m. Eastern at Scotiabank Arena and streaming on Prime Video. (nba.com) The Cavaliers won Game 1, 126-113, on April 18 and Game 2, 115-105, on April 20, giving them a chance to move within one win of the second round. Donovan Mitchell has led the series at 31.0 points per game, while Toronto’s top scorer so far is RJ Barrett at 23.0. (nba.com) The latest listed injury questions are concentrated on Toronto’s backcourt. ESPN’s matchup page lists Immanuel Quickley as a game-time decision with a hamstring issue, Ja’Kobe Walter as a game-time decision with an illness, and Cleveland center Thomas Bryant as a game-time decision with a calf issue; Chucky Hepburn is listed as out for the season. (espn.com) Projected starters point to Toronto getting Quickley back in the opening group if he is cleared. College Sports Network lists Cleveland’s expected five as James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, and Toronto’s as Quickley, Brandon Ingram, Barrett, Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl. (collegefootballnetwork.com) The format makes Game 3 the first swing game of the series: Cleveland is trying to turn a home-court hold into a 3-0 edge, while Toronto is trying to cut the deficit in its first home playoff game of the matchup. The NBA’s series page has Game 4 scheduled for Sunday, April 26, back in Toronto. (nba.com) Toronto entered this matchup as the East’s No. 5 seed at 46-36 after avoiding the SoFi Play-In Tournament on the final day of the regular season. Cleveland finished 52-30 as the No. 4 seed, and NBA.com’s series preview noted the Raptors had swept the regular-season meetings 3-0 before the playoffs started. (nba.com) Cleveland’s roster changed the shape of the series before it began. The Sporting News reported that the Cavaliers added James Harden at the trade deadline, and Harden averaged 20.5 points and 7.7 assists in 26 regular-season games with Cleveland. (sportingnews.com) The injury report can still change during the day. The league’s reporting rules require teams to file game-day updates between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. local time for most games, with reports updated on a continual basis afterward. (official.nba.com) By tipoff, the questions are straightforward: whether Quickley can steady Toronto’s offense, and whether Mitchell and Harden can keep Cleveland’s control of the series intact. The scoreboard will matter most, but the availability list may shape the game before the opening possession. (foxsports.com)