Cavaliers eliminate Raptors with Game 7 win, clinch second‑round spot
- Cleveland beat Toronto 114-102 in Game 7 on Sunday night, closing the last open first-round series and sending the Cavaliers into the East semifinals. - Jarrett Allen was the swing piece — 22 points, 19 rebounds, and a huge edge on the glass as Cleveland won rebounds 60-33. - That result locked the full second-round bracket, with Cleveland now facing Detroit after both East series needed Game 7s.
Cleveland finally got out of the first round Sunday night, and it took the messiest, most physical version of this series to do it. The Cavaliers beat the Raptors 114-102 in Game 7 at Rocket Arena, erased an early Toronto edge, then blew the game open with a 38-point third quarter. That mattered beyond one matchup — this was the last unfinished first-round series, so the full second-round bracket is now set. ### How did Cleveland actually win this? The game flipped after halftime. Toronto led through most of the first half, but Cleveland came out of the break sharper, faster, and much more forceful on the glass. The Cavs won the rebounding battle 60-33, including 20 offensive boards, which basically gave them extra possessions until Toronto ran out of answers. ### Why was Jarrett Allen the key? Because he turned the game into a size problem. Allen finished with 22 points and 19 rebounds, tying his playoff career high in points, and Cleveland kept feeding off the second chances he created. Game 7s usually get framed around guards hitting hard shots, but this one was decided by a center owning the paint and the backboard. ### What about Donovan Mitchell? Mitchell helped deliver the burst that broke Toronto’s control. ESPN’s live recap highlighted his hot start to the second half, and that matched the feel of the game — once Cleveland’s offense started flowing through quicker attacks instead of grinding, the Raptors stopped dictating tempo. Allen was the anchor, but Mitchell gave Cleveland the downhill pressure it needed. ### Did Toronto blow this? A little, but not in the lazy “they choked” way. Toronto had control early and had just forced Game 7 by winning an overtime Game 6 at home, so the Raptors clearly had Cleveland uncomfortable late in the series. But in Game 7 they couldn’t survive the ### Why does this change the playoff picture? Because it finished the bracket. With Cleveland advancing, the East semifinals are now Cavaliers vs. Pistons and Knicks vs. 76ers. In the West, the second round is Thunder vs. Lakers and Spurs vs. Timberwolves. Sunday’s result turned the postseason from “almost set” into fully locked. ### Why is the Detroit matchup interesting? Because Cleveland’s reward is another team coming off a Game 7 win. Detroit beat Orlando earlier Sunday and completed a 3-1 comeback to get here, so this won’t feel like a reset against a rested favorite. It sets up an East semifinal between two teams that just survived high-pressure series in completely different ways. ### Where do the TV and streaming changes come in? The second round is also where the viewing map gets more fragmented. CBS Sports’ updated bracket page says the games are split across ESPN/ABC, NBC/Peacock, and Prime Video, which means following one series may now require hopping between broadcast TV and multiple streams the bracket is set. ### Bottom line Cleveland didn’t just survive — it imposed its style when the series got tightest. The Cavaliers turned Game 7 into a rebounding fight, Allen turned that fight into a mismatch, and now the postseason moves on with all eight second-round teams finally in place.
