Mitchell scores 32 as Cavaliers beat Raptors, take Game 1

Donovan Mitchell opened another playoff run by doing what he has made routine: taking over Game 1 and giving Cleveland a statement win that looked as much like a test of team depth as a showcase of star power. His 32 points helped the Cavaliers beat the Toronto Raptors 126-113 on Saturday at Rocket Arena, and the result gave fourth-seeded Cleveland a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series.

Mitchell’s latest burst extended an NBA-record streak to nine straight playoff series openers with at least 30 points, a run that now sits two ahead of the best Michael Jordan managed on two occasions. More important for Cleveland’s postseason hopes, the opener was not a one-man rescue job. Max Strus scored 24 points off the bench, James Harden added 22 points and 10 assists, and Evan Mobley finished with 17 points and seven rebounds. That mix is what the Cavaliers believe can carry them deeper than in previous playoff runs, when pressure often narrowed their offense and left too much on Mitchell’s shoulders.

Cleveland controlled the game early and never let Toronto settle in. The Cavaliers led by as many as 24 points and were up 100-76 early in the fourth quarter, turning the final period into a search for Toronto’s response rather than a question of Cleveland’s survival. The Raptors, playing in their first playoff game since 2022, never fully recovered from a rough start to the third quarter. Darko Rajakovic said his team was too stagnant and lacked execution, and the numbers backed that up, especially against a Cavaliers group that kept finding scoring from multiple spots.

Toronto was already operating without point guard Immanuel Quickley, who was ruled out with a mild right hamstring strain, and the absence made it harder to keep pressure on Cleveland’s perimeter defense. RJ Barrett scored 24 points and Scottie Barnes added 21, but Toronto still could not overcome the pace Cleveland set. The Raptors also have history working against them in Ohio, where they are 0-8 all-time in postseason games.

Cleveland had lost all three regular-season meetings to Toronto, so the Game 1 result flipped that script and gave the Cavaliers immediate control of the series. Game 2 is set for Monday night in Cleveland, and if Mitchell keeps delivering his annual postseason surge while Strus, Harden and Mobley keep producing, the Cavaliers will have a legitimate chance to turn a strong opening into a longer spring run.