Toronto Raptors beat Cleveland Cavaliers 93-89 at home on Sunday, April 26 in a game that stayed within 4 points at every quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Cavaliers struck first, taking the opening quarter 17-14 and a 3-point lead after one. The Raptors moved in front with a 24-19 second quarter, carrying a 2-point lead into halftime.
The teams matched each other with 22 points apiece in the third quarter, so the Raptors remained ahead by 2 entering the fourth. The Raptors took the fourth 33-31; the Raptors finished the job for a 93-89 regulation win.
The edge that mattered
The Raptors took better care of the ball, turning it over on 10.7% of possessions compared with 17.3% for the Cavaliers. The Raptors made 27.8 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 17.2 for the Cavaliers. In a 4-point game, those extra possessions were crucial.
The Cavaliers did win one battle, shooting: eFG% of 42.5% against 34%. The Raptors made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 101 possessions per team, the Raptors produced 92.6 points per 100 possessions to 88.6 for the Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 32-14.
Who made the difference
Scottie Barnes was the game's biggest individual force for TOR: 23 pts, 9 reb, 6 ast, 3 blk on 6-15 shooting. His Game Score of 20.1 led everyone. His team was +9 with him on the floor.
Collin Murray-Boyles (15 pts, 10 reb, 3 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 57% for the Raptors.
Across the last 10 meetings in our records, Cleveland Cavaliers lead 6-4.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.