Despite strides made since opening night, Cavaliers still too much for Raptors

Cleveland — The Toronto Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers met on the opening night of the season and have been travelling in different directions since. 

After that blowout win in Toronto — the Cavs led by as many as 33 and won by 20 in what stands as the Raptors' worst performance of the season — Cleveland has gone on to establish themselves as a legit title contender, winning 15 straight games and losing only to the Boston Celtics. Cleveland currently stands alone on top of the Eastern Conference. 

Meanwhile, the Raptors spiralled to 2-12 — at the time, the worst record in the NBA — before winning their last two starts at home to come to Cleveland at the beginning of a four-game road trip eager for the opportunity to prove that they're not the team that got smacked on opening night and that they’ve come a long way in the weeks since. 

“Always, when you play against an elite team — and Cleveland is an elite team — I’m really excited,” said Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic before the ball went up. “I love challenges. I love seeing our team grow, and tonight is an amazing opportunity to go out there and compete.”

There was even the game-within-the-game intrigue of seeing Raptors all-star Scottie Barnes matchup with Cavs big man Evan Mobley, who was taken third in the 2021 draft by Cleveland, one spot ahead of where the Raptors chose Barnes, who went on to win rookie of the year, with Mobley runnerup. 

Their respective seasons have mirrored their respective teams. Mobley got the better of Barnes on opening night — he had 25 points on 14 shots and was plus-31 on the night, while Barnes was 3-of-14, struggled with Mobley defending him and was minus-33 for his 26 minutes.

Mobley is well on his way to the best season of his career and will be an all-defence selection again. He will also likely be an all-star at this rate, as he is scoring nearly 18 points a game on career-best efficiency. Barnes broke his orbital bone in the Raptors' fourth game of the year and was making just his second start since. 

“Personally, as a fan, I love seeing those two go up against each other,” said Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson. “They’re two bright, up-and-coming stars in the league, it’s great to see. They have different games, different kind of profile, but they’re both that hybrid kind of four/wing that can also play the five. Really, really interesting players. They’re like the new style, hybrid player: big, strong, can pass. It’s going to be a blast watching them go at it.”

On Sunday night, the Cavs ended up winning the second meeting between the two teams, and you’d have to give the edge to Mobley in the game-within-the-game also, although the Raptors and Barnes have clearly come a long way. In the end, the red-hot Cavs proved too much for the Raptors as they improved to 17-1 on the season with their 122-108 win, while Toronto fell to 4-13 and had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.

The Raptors did push Cleveland this time around. But the Cavs used a 14-3 run in the first 3:30 of the fourth quarter to push what had been a six-point advantage to 17, and the Raptors couldn’t pull within double figures the rest of the way.

The Raptors shot 40.2 per cent from the floor and 12-of-39 from three, while Cleveland came in at 49.5 per cent and 16-of-41 from deep, and that’s with two of their designated deep threats — Georges Niang and Sam Merrill — combining to go 1-of-12 off the bench. Ty Jerome helped fill the gap as he came off the bench for 26 points and five assists, and he was a problem for the Raptors all night. Donovan Mitchell also had 26 for the Cavs. 

Mobley finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and four assists on 6-of-11 shooting. Barnes managed 18 points to lead the Raptors but was 5-of-14 from the floor and 1-of-6 from three. Barnes' only triple came late in the fourth quarter, and he flexed and yelled to the crowd to celebrate, but it was one of the few sparks the Raptors had in the final frame as they shot just 5-of-22 from the floor as the Cavs pulled away comfortably.

“I thought we had sequences that we played really well on offence and on defence, outside of a slow start — we just did not have enough energy and enough force — I thought we played a very competitive game against a really good team to be honest with you,” said Rajakovic later.  “I wish we could play this team every week because it would make us better, and we’re learning a lot.”

In the early going, it seemed very much like nothing had changed since opening night. The Cavs were the Cavs, and the Raptors were the Raptors, and that was that. There was no middle ground.

Cleveland jumped up to a 38-22 lead in the first quarter, and it wasn’t even like the Raptors were playing all that poorly. Cleveland, coming off a rare three-day break in the schedule, channelled their fresh legs into their defence. Toronto struggled in the halfcourt, and Barnes once again struggled to make plays against Mobley’s spidery, six-foot-11 frame. Four Raptors turnovers helped the Cavs build a 12-2 edge in fastbreak points, and it seemed like the route might be on again.

But Rajakovic found something with the defensive-minded lineup in the second quarter that featured Barnes and reserves Chris Boucher (10 points) and rookie Jonathan Mogbo, who ended up scoring a career-best 13 points in 20 minutes off the bench. 

After the Cavs shot 65 per cent from the floor and 6-of-9 from three in the first quarter, the Raptors held Cleveland to 9-of-23 shooting in the second quarter, although they still hit four threes, two of them by reserve guard Ty Jerome, who had 17 points and four assists in 14 first-half minutes. Still, the Raptors forced five Cleveland turnovers in a two-minute stretch and cut what had been a 16-point Cleveland lead to four with 2:44 to play on a Gradey Dick triple. But the Cavs went into the half on an 8-2 run in the final seconds, and the Raptors trailed 65-55. Dick later left the game with calf soreness. He finished with 18 points on 6-of-17 shooting, with three triples on nine attempts.

The third quarter mirrored the first half: Cleveland jumped out to a lead early before more defensive pressure from a Raptors lineup featuring Mogbo, and this time, rookie Jamal Shead alongside Barnes began causing problems. The Raptors' best sequence of the night came when Barnes pressured Jerome on his dribble, and Mogbo jumped the passing lane to force the turnover, eventually leading to a corner three by Shead. Barnes and Shead teamed up on Jerome again and forced another turnover that led to a bucket by Mogbo before Barnes blocked Mobley on a post move that triggered a roar from Barnes and a transition three from Shead. Suddenly, the Raptors — down by 15 at the six-minute mark of the third — were trailing by just three with a minute left in the quarter. 

It was everything the Raptors could have hoped for after their opening night meltdown. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. 

The Cavaliers wasted little time turning a six-point lead to start the fourth quarter to 17 midway through the period. Their talent talked.

The Raptors have certainly made strides over the past month and change, but the Cavaliers remain beyond their reach for now.