The Cleveland Cavaliers have been in complete control of their first-round series against the Toronto Raptors so far. They’ve cruised to stress-free wins in the first two games of this series, but anything can happen when the series shifts to a different venue.
“The series hasn’t even started yet until you go on the road,” Max Strus said after practice on Wednesday. “So we got to come in with an aggressive mindset, just like we treated games one and two, and play our best basketball.”
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We’ll see what adjustments either team makes for Game 3. The Raptors decided to bench normal starting center Jakob Poeltl for the entirety of the second half of Game 2, opting to go small with the 6’7” Collin Murray-Boyles at center. At this point, it’d be surprising if they went back to Poeltl.
No matter who the Raptors decide to go with at center, the Cavs hope to get the version of Evan Mobley they did through the first two games of this series. He put up 25 points and eight assists in the win on Monday.
“He’s in a great, great, spot,” Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson said on Wednesday. “Physically, this is probably the best I’ve seen him move in two years, just moving really well, and then just confidence…he’s kind of in a flow state right now, which equals super [aggressiveness]. I’m watching him go to the offensive board. It’s another level than it was in the regular season. He’s definitely turned it up.”
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Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (2-0) at Toronto Raptors (0-2)
Where: Scotiabank Arena – Toronto, ON
When: Thur., April 23 at 8 PM
TV: Prime Video
Point spread: Cavs -3
Cavs injury report: Thomas Bryant – QUESTIONABLE (calf)
Raptors injury report: Immanuel Quickley – QUESTIONABLE (hamstring)
Cavs expected starting lineup: James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen
Raptors expected starting lineup: Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes, Collin Murray-Boyles
Previous matchup: The Cavs secured a 2-0 lead with a 10-point victory.
Here’s a look at both teams’ regular-season impact stats via Cleaning the Glass.
Offensive Rating
Defensive Rating
Net Rating
Cavs
118.9 (8th)
115 (15th)
+3.9 (9th)
Raptors
116.8 (13th)
113.2 (7th)
+3.6 (11th)
