Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Donovan Mitchell and James Harden combined for 58 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Toronto Raptors 115-105 to take a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven NBA Eastern Conference first-round playoff series on Monday.
Fourth seeds Cleveland, convincing 126-113 victors in game one of the series on Saturday, once again proved too strong for fifth-seeded Toronto as they powered to a wire-to-wire victory. Mitchell finished with 30 points including four three-pointers while Harden finished with 28 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Evan Mobley also had a big night for Cleveland, weighing in with 25 points from an efficient 11-of-13 shooting display.
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The Cavs’ victory provided more evidence that the offensive partnership between Mitchell and the 36-year-old Harden, who was traded to the team in February, is blossoming at the right time for Cleveland. “He’s been doing it a little bit longer than me but we’ve still been doing it for a long time — just trying to find ways to win,” Mitchell said of Harden. “Whether it’s passing, it’s rebounding, getting stops — when you have two guys who are trying to chase the same thing, it definitely helps for sure,” Mitchell added.
Toronto’s scoring was led by Scottie Barnes with 26 points while RJ Barrett added 22. Game three of the series takes place in Toronto on Thursday.
© 2024 AFP
