Cleveland Cavaliers beat Toronto Raptors 115-105 at home on Monday, April 20, never trailing at a quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Cavaliers had the better start, winning the first 26-19 to lead by 7 after one. The Raptors cut into the deficit with a 29-28 second quarter, though the Cavaliers still led by 6 at halftime.
The Cavaliers won the third 30-29 to create some separation, taking a 7-point lead into the fourth. The Cavaliers took the fourth 31-28; the Cavaliers finished the job for a 115-105 regulation win.
What decided it
The Cavaliers took better care of the ball, turning it over on 12.4% of possessions compared with 21.9% for the Raptors. The Cavaliers got more from their shots, finishing at 60.8% effective field-goal shooting compared with 54.8% for the Raptors. Those extra possessions were crucial.
The Raptors did win one battle, second chances: ORB% of 30.8% against 21.1%. The Cavaliers made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 99 possessions per team, the Cavaliers produced 116.7 points per 100 possessions to 106.5 for the Raptors.
Who made the difference
James Harden was the game's biggest individual force for CLE: 28 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast, 5 stl on 9-14 shooting. His Game Score of 24.8 led everyone. His team was +14 with him on the floor.
Scottie Barnes led the Raptors with 26 pts, 4 reb, 5 ast on 11-19 shooting, good for a 18.9 Game Score.
Sandro Mamukelashvili (12 pts, 10 reb, 2 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Cavaliers about a 73% chance.
Across the last 8 meetings in our records, Cleveland Cavaliers lead 5-3.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.