Cavs head to Toronto up 2-0
- Cleveland opened a 2-0 lead over Toronto and will play Game 3 in Toronto tonight. (x.com) - The Cavs’ 2-0 advantage is the clearest early-series edge among East matchups so far. (x.com) - The first-round slate is best-of-seven with home court set by regular-season record, so Game 3 matters for momentum. (espn.com)
Cleveland takes a 2-0 lead into Toronto on Thursday night, putting the Raptors under immediate pressure in Game 3. (nba.com) Game 3 is set for 8 p.m. Eastern at Scotiabank Arena, with Game 4 back in the same building on Sunday afternoon. Cleveland hosts Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 in this series because it had the better regular-season record in the 2-2-1-1-1 playoff format. (nba.com) (espn.com) Cleveland won the opener 126-113 on April 18 behind 32 points from Donovan Mitchell, 22 points and 10 assists from James Harden, and a playoff offense that looked sharper than it did in the regular-season meetings. Toronto had swept the three-game season series before the playoffs started. (nba.com) The Cavaliers then held serve again in Game 2, and their own preview for Thursday said Mitchell, Harden and Evan Mobley combined for 83 points in that win. Mitchell scored at least 30 points in both home games. (nba.com) That swing is the story of the series so far: a matchup that looked tight on paper has tilted toward Cleveland once the games turned into a best-of-seven. ESPN’s playoff bracket showed Cleveland as the only Eastern Conference team with a 2-0 lead entering Thursday, while Detroit-Orlando and Boston-Philadelphia were tied 1-1. (espn.com) Toronto still has one clear counterweight: home court. NBA.com’s Game 3 preview noted that the Raptors beat both Oklahoma City and Detroit in Toronto this season and also beat Cleveland twice there, giving them evidence that the series can change once it crosses the border. (nba.com) The Raptors also enter Game 3 needing more from Brandon Ingram, whose scoring and efficiency were down through the first two games, according to NBA.com’s scouting look at the matchup. Coach Darko Rajakovic said his team was “excited to come home” and “fight back” in front of its fans. (nba.com) For Cleveland, the shift has tracked with the roster change it made in midseason. NBA.com’s series preview said the Cavaliers were 19-6 when Harden played entering the matchup, and its Game 1 recap said they were 21-6 since acquiring him after that opening win. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Thursday’s game does not decide the series, but it decides whether Toronto can turn it into a contest again before Sunday. If Cleveland wins once in Canada, the Raptors would be staring at elimination by Game 4. (espn.com)
