Cleveland Cavaliers beat Toronto Raptors 125-120 at home on Wednesday, April 29. The Raptors led after three quarters, but the Cavaliers took control in the fourth.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Cavaliers struck first, taking the opening quarter 38-34 and a 4-point lead after one. The Raptors moved in front with a 40-29 second quarter, carrying a 7-point lead into halftime.
The Cavaliers won the third 33-29 to stay in front, taking a 3-point lead into the fourth. The Cavaliers took the fourth 25-17; the Cavaliers completed the comeback for a 125-120 regulation win.
What decided it
The Cavaliers got more from their shots, finishing at 64.2% effective field-goal shooting compared with 54.2% for the Raptors. The Cavaliers made 25.9 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 17.9 for the Raptors. In a 5-point game, that shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Raptors did win one battle, second chances: ORB% of 32.6% against 10.8%. The Cavaliers made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 104 possessions per team, the Cavaliers produced 120 points per 100 possessions to 115.2 for the Raptors.
Who made the difference
Evan Mobley was the game's biggest individual force for CLE: 23 pts, 9 reb, 1 ast, 3 blk on 8-13 shooting. His Game Score of 21.6 led everyone. His team was -2 with him on the floor.
RJ Barrett led the Raptors with 25 pts, 12 reb, 5 ast on 9-19 shooting, good for a 18.6 Game Score.
RJ Barrett (25 pts, 12 reb, 5 ast) and Scottie Barnes (17 pts, 8 reb, 11 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Cavaliers about a 69% chance.
Across the last 11 meetings in our records, Cleveland Cavaliers lead 6-5.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.