Donovan Mitchell Set an NBA Record and the Cavs Made it Look Easy — Cleveland Rolls Toronto 126-113 in Game 1
The Toronto Raptors spent four years trying to get back to the playoffs. They finally made it. And then the Cleveland Cavaliers reminded them what the postseason actually feels like.
Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points in the Cavs’ 126-113 Game 1 win Saturday afternoon, becoming the first player in NBA history to score 30 or more in nine consecutive series openers. Nine straight. Every single time Mitchell plays a Game 1, he goes for 30-plus. At this point it’s not a trend — it’s a guarantee.
Max Strus came off the bench for 24 points, James Harden ran the show with 22 points and 10 assists, and Evan Mobley added 17 and 7. Cleveland was sharper, faster, and more physical for most of the game, and the Raptors are going to have to figure some things out quick before Game 2 on Monday.
The Third Quarter Was the Dagger
It was actually a decent game early. Toronto came out with energy — Jamal Shead hit five threes and scored 17 points filling in for the injured Immanuel Quickley. RJ Barrett had 24 points and pulled the Raptors within 45-41 on a three late in the second quarter.
Then Cleveland just buried them.
The Cavs went on a 27-9 run that started in the final 1:11 of the second quarter and stretched through the first seven minutes of the third. During that stretch, Cleveland shot 10-of-16 from the floor and 5-of-8 from three. Strus was the engine — he scored 11 points during the run, hitting all three of his threes and just completely taking over the game.
By the time Sam Merrill drained a three 13 seconds into the fourth quarter, Cleveland led 100-76. Twenty-four point lead. Game over. The Raptors did make it more respectable with a 37-29 fourth quarter, but the damage was done.
Barnes and Barrett Need More Help
Scottie Barnes had 21 points and RJ Barrett had 24, but nobody else on the Raptors really showed up outside of Shead. Brandon Ingram was quiet. The bench didn’t give Toronto much. And the Cavs’ defense was locked in on the two guys Toronto relies on most.
The bigger issue for the Raptors is depth. Cleveland has Mitchell, Harden, Mobley, Strus, and a bench that can hurt you from multiple positions. Toronto has Barnes and Barrett and then a big drop-off. In a seven-game series, that gap tends to show — and it showed in Game 1.
Mitchell Keeps Rewriting the Playoff Record Books
Mitchell’s Game 1 dominance is almost hard to believe at this point. Nine straight series openers with 30-plus is the kind of stat that sounds made up. He’s built for the postseason — his scoring goes up, his efficiency stays elite, and he plays with an aggressiveness that regular-season Mitchell doesn’t always show.
If Cleveland is going to make a deep run this year, it’s going to be because Mitchell keeps doing this. He’s the engine. And on Saturday, the engine was running perfectly.
Game 2 is Monday night in Cleveland. Toronto needs to figure out how to slow that third-quarter onslaught or this series is going to be a short one.
