Toronto Raptors beat Cleveland Cavaliers 126-104 at home on Thursday, April 23. The final margin was 22 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Raptors struck first, taking the opening quarter 31-25 and a 6-point lead after one. The Cavaliers pulled even with a 29-23 second quarter, sending the game to halftime tied at 54.
The Raptors won the third 29-27 to turn the game around, taking a 2-point lead into the fourth. The Raptors took the fourth 43-23; the Raptors finished the job for a 126-104 regulation win.
Why it was lopsided
The Raptors took better care of the ball, turning it over on 11.4% of possessions compared with 21% for the Cavaliers. The Raptors got more from their shots, finishing at 65.5% effective field-goal shooting compared with 53.1% for the Cavaliers. Those extra possessions were crucial.
The Cavaliers did win one battle, second chances: ORB% of 40% against 29.7%. The Raptors made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 96 possessions per team, the Raptors produced 131.7 points per 100 possessions to 108.7 for the Cavaliers.
Who stood out
Scottie Barnes was the game's biggest individual force for TOR: 33 pts, 5 reb, 11 ast on 11-17 shooting. His Game Score of 33.8 led everyone. His team was +23 with him on the floor.
Evan Mobley led the Cavaliers with 15 pts, 6 reb, 7 ast on 4-13 shooting, good for a 15.3 Game Score.
Scottie Barnes (33 pts, 5 reb, 11 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 52% for the Raptors.
Across the last 9 meetings in our records, Cleveland Cavaliers lead 6-3.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.