Suddenly, it is Game On for the Cavaliers in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with the Raptors.
The Raptors, like a wounded beast, got up off the floor at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto in the fourth quarter April 23 to outscore the Cavs, 43-23, and steal Game 3, 126-104.
Game 4 is set for 1 p.m. April 25 in Toronto. The Cavaliers will take a 3-1 series lead into Game 5 on April 29 at Rocket Arena if they prevail. A Raptors victory would square things at 2-2 and mean a return trip to Canada for Game 6 on May 1 regardless what happens midweek in Cleveland.
James Harden surveys the court during Game 1 against the Raptors on April 18. (Tim Phillis – for The News-Herald)
“The biggest thing for us is to not overreact,” Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell told reporters in Toronto. “It’s one loss. The sky isn’t falling. We have to understand we weren’t going to go 16-0 if we are going to achieve what we want to achieve.
“You give credit where credit is due, and then we go back and fix it. It starts with our force. They’re trying to protect homecourt, and now let’s see how we respond. That’s the biggest thing.”
The Cavaliers protected home court in the first two games, winning 126-113 and 115-105 in Cleveland, but they did not overwhelm the Raptors in either game.
Despite the lopsided final score, Game 3 followed a similar pattern until the Cavaliers’ defense cratered in the fourth quarter. The Raptors canned 8 of 9 3-point tries and 17 of 23 shots overall from the field in the final 12 minutes. The Raptors pulled down five offensive rebounds, the Cavaliers one defensive rebound in the fourth quarter.
RJ Barrett scored 16 points and Jamison Battle 14 points for Toronto in the fourth quarter.
“We’re a tough, resilient group,” Barrett told reporters. “We’re going to fight. The first two games — we’re a young team without much playoff experience. I think (Game 3) gave us some confidence. We’re in this series. When everybody plays hard, locked in on the game plan, we can make some noise.”
Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said the Raptors did a better job defending in the paint in Game 3, making it difficult for Mitchell and James Harden to drive to the hoop. Now the Cavaliers have to find a way to counter the adjustments the Raptors made, Mitchell said.
“They were aggressive, and we didn’t match that,” Mitchell said. “Even with that, we were right there. We just didn’t execute. When you’re not as forceful as the home team and they start making shots with the crowd behind them, you get the result we got.”
The turnover numbers reflect how the Cavaliers took their foot off the gas defensively. The Cavs forced Toronto into a season-high 22 turnovers in Game 2. The Raptors turned the ball over only 11 times in Game 3.
Cavaliers at Raptors
What: Eastern Conference quarterfinals (Cavs lead, 2-1)
When 1 p.m., April 26
Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto
TV: ESPN
Radio: WMMS-FM 100.7