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The Cleveland Cavaliers bounced back for a huge Game 5 win and a 3-2 series lead over the Toronto Raptors.
Let’s go over today’s losers.
LOSER – The First Half
I can’t blame anyone for feeling antsy in the first half. To be honest, if you weren’t starting to worry about a full-blown panic attack, then I don’t know how you do it. This first half had disaster written all over it.
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The Raptors could not miss in the first two quarters. They had 74 points at halftime on 64% shooting from the floor and 59% shooting from downtown. No one thought that would be sustainable, but it’s more than enough in one half to steal a Game 5 on the road.
How did the Raptors do it?
Scottie Barnes was the driving force. He put immense pressure on the rim with his downhill attacks, while his playmaking provided a counter. Drawing multiple defenders and hitting the open man is easier said than done. Barnes had the Cavalier defense scrambling to keep up.
Adding fuel to the fire, Cleveland again turned it over like crazy. The Raptors eventually scored 28 points off turnovers in this game, with a good chunk of that coming in a frantic first half.
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WINNER – Feeding the Bigs
Clearly, something changed in the second half. The Cavs managed to overcome a 12-point deficit and storm back for a double-digit lead of their own before winning in the closing minutes.
Feeding the bigs was the key to all of that.
Dennis Schroder (more on him soon) apparently told the Cavs as much. At halftime, Schroder addressed his team and told them where they’ve been going wrong. His proposal? To return to ‘Cavs basketball’ play prioritizing Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley as focal points of the offense. I guess Schroder reads Fear the Sword, or any Cavs blog, for that matter.
The results were immediate. Mobley and Allen re-established the Cavaliers’ efforts in the paint by rolling to the rim and creating easy opportunities. By playing inside-out, the Cavs offense settled into a more sustainable groove — all while energizing the bigs on the other end of the floor.
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All of a sudden, Allen and Mobley were rejecting shots…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/winners-losers-cavs-vs-raptors-060749046.html
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Publish date : 2026-04-30 06:07:00
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