Cavs‑Raptors highlights

Cleveland opened its first-round series by beating Toronto 126-113 on April 18, with the late-game highlights centered on Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers’ fourth-quarter control. (nba.com) Mitchell scored 32 points, Max Strus added 24 off the bench, and James Harden finished with 22 points and 10 assists in Cleveland’s Game 1 win at Rocket Arena. (espn.com) The score was tied only briefly early; Cleveland led for 79% of the game, built a 24-point cushion, and won the third quarter 36-22 before Toronto scored 37 in the fourth. (espn.com) The fourth-quarter clips matter because playoff highlight packages compress the possessions coaches revisit first: closing lineups, late-clock creation, and which bench players stay on the floor when the margin tightens. (youtube.com) Game 1 also set the early terms of the series. Cleveland is the No. 4 seed, Toronto the No. 5 seed, and the Cavaliers took a 1-0 lead with Game 2 scheduled for April 20 in Cleveland. (nba.com) Toronto still shot 52.1% from the field and 48.1% from 3-point range, but the Raptors committed 18 turnovers and were outscored 52-36 in the paint. Cleveland shot 54.3% overall and 50.0% from deep. (espn.com) The NBA’s own fourth-quarter package focuses on the stretch that decided the opener, while the longer fan-circulated cut from April 18 runs through the momentum swings that framed those final minutes. (nba.com) (youtube.com) Before the series, the league’s preview framed Toronto’s path as finding “an opening” after climbing to fifth in the Eastern Conference on the last day of the regular season. Game 1 instead gave Cleveland the first clean read on what worked: Mitchell’s scoring, Harden’s setup, and Strus’ second-unit punch. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) The next test is whether those same fourth-quarter choices hold up 48 hours later, when the clips from April 18 turn into the scouting report for Game 2. (nba.com)