Cavaliers overpower Raptors in Game 7, advance to face Pistons
Jarrett Allen’s 22 points and 19 rebounds gave Cleveland a steadier postseason identity, as the Cavs buried Toronto’s comeback bid and moved on to Detroit.
Jarrett Allen gave Cleveland something sturdier than a hot shooting night. He tied his playoff career high with 22 points, grabbed 19 rebounds and helped turn a tense Game 7 into a 114-102 Cavaliers win over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, sending Cleveland into the Eastern Conference semifinals against the top-seeded Detroit Pistons.
The series hinged on control of the paint and the glass, and Allen supplied both. Cleveland outrebounded Toronto 60-33 and won the offensive-rebound battle 20-7, turning missed shots into extra possessions and stripping Toronto of the chance to settle into rhythm. Kenny Atkinson’s club broke the game open with a 49-21 run across the second and third quarters, converting a nine-point deficit into a 19-point lead and leaving the Raptors to chase the game the rest of the way.
That second-half surge mattered because Cleveland did not need to depend entirely on perimeter shot-making to survive. Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points and James Harden added 18, but Allen’s interior work made the offense function under pressure. After the teams went into halftime tied at 49, Cleveland outscored Toronto 65-53 the rest of the way, and Allen’s composure around the rim gave the Cavaliers a physical identity they could trust when the series tightened.
The win ended a first round in which the home team held serve every night, making this the only opening-round series in the 2026 playoffs without a road victory. Toronto had returned to the postseason for the first time since 2022, and the Raptors had already forced the decisive game when RJ Barrett hit a 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds left in overtime in Game 6 to seal a 112-110 win in Toronto. Scottie Barnes had 25 points and 14 assists in that game, while Barrett and Ja’Kobe Walter scored 24 apiece.
Brandon Ingram missed Game 7 with a bruised right heel, his second straight absence, and Toronto never found enough offense to overcome Cleveland’s size. Darko Rajakovic said the Raptors gave everything they had, while Barnes pointed to Cleveland’s offensive rebounds as the difference. Now the Cavaliers head to Detroit for Game 1 on Tuesday night, carrying a formula that traveled through seven games: Allen at the center, everyone else built around him.
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