Winners and Losers: Cavs vs Raptors Game 2 – Evan Mobley dominates

The Cleveland Cavaliers rode their three best players (Mitchell, Mobley, and Harden) for 83 points to take a 2-0 series lead over the Toronto Raptors.

Let’s go over today’s winners, because there were no losers.

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WINNER – BAGcourt

It was somewhere between Donovan Mitchell’s second windmill gather and James Harden’s third step-back jumper of the game that I realized how lucky Cavs fans are to be watching a backcourt with this level of technical craft.

The Raptors altered their defensive approach from Game 1. Rather than earnestly trying to defend Mitchell or Harden, they opted to send multiple defenders and apply maximum pressure on the ball. That had benefits, as it partially took the rock out of the guard’s hands and put pressure on other Cavaliers to make plays.

If only it were that easy to take Mitchell and Harden off the board.

Sure, the Raps could win a possession every once in a while. But the sheer scoring ability of Mitchell and Harden made it impossible for Toronto to contain them. The Cavs guards hit shot after shot, often times launching it over multiple defenders and finding the bottom of the basket anyway.

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“I still go crazy sometimes wanting him [Mitchell] to pass the ball, and then he hits a crazy shot,” said Kenny Atkinson after the game. “There’s a couple of times where Don has it in iso, and the defense is crashing, so he just throws it to James.”

Harden isn’t overly bothered by physicality at the point of attack. He has a bulky enough frame to withstand punishment and dish it back out. Meanwhile, Mitchell is too much of a blur to keep boxed up. He might run into a wall at times — but resetting the offense and attacking again ensured he’d find an opening on the second attempt.

The Cavs starting backcourt has combined for 112 points through the first two games of this series. If you’re thinking that’s too much to withstand, you’re correct.

WINNER – Defending Ingram

Playoff basketball grants you the opportunity to zero in on an opponent more than you can during the frenzied 82-game schedule of the regular season. That’s proven to be bad news…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/winners-losers-cavs-vs-raptors-033000030.html

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Publish date : 2026-04-21 03:30:00

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