After getting a win from Brooklyn, the Raptors have got another win against one of the stronger teams in the eastern conference rival, the Cleveland cavaliers. So far in this 5-game road trip, the raptors have looked healthy and have won 4 of the 5 games.
From the opening tip, it is clear that the raptors are confident in this game, leading in the second quarter with a 38-24 run, turning the game into their favour. By halftime, the raptors led by 67-54. It’s important to note, that the cavaliers in the past season have beaten the raptors 4-0 in their four meetings with each other. This has turn out into a favourable matchup for the raptors.
One of the key players that stepped up was Scottie Barnes, putting up 28 points, 10 rebounds and dished 8 assists and 5 blocks. An all-round stat sheet to say the least. His performance led to the team finding rhythm, while Immanuel Quickley also contributed with 25 points, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range.
For Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell had 31 points but wasn’t enough with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen aren’t able to contribute much, along with the injury to their other all-star guard, Darius Garland, it seemed the team ran out of gas when facing the raptors.
Ultimately, the raptors finished the game with 126-113, on the road against a team that beat them completely last season. In this game, we can see some improvements that carried from the last game against the Brooklyn Nets, where the team seems to be more in sync with each other, and addition to Barnes and Quickley, the rest of the starters and the bench have done well to keep their game up float.
Even though the team is playing well, the record of 7-5 to start the season still remains shaky, as teams around the league are improving within the team and have a clearcut leader amongst them. Hopefully we’re looking towards Scottie Barnes as the player to step up for the raptors and make a greater impact on the eastern conference this year.
As the Raptors walk away from Cleveland with another win under their belt, the team is expected to face the Indiana Pacers, who is without their all-star guard Tyrese Haliburton, hopefully they can finish off this 5-game road trip with a positive record and to continue to build their momentum.
Ben Chan kchan467@my.bcit.ca