NBA Playoffs: Donovan dominates as Cavs beat Raptors

CLEVELAND — One of Donovan Mitchell's biggest attributes is scoring points in bunches. "That's his job," Cavaliers guard James Harden said. "That's why he gets paid the big bucks. If he really gets it going, he can get 40 or 50." That wasn't the case Saturday in Game 1, but he did fire in a game-high 32 points to power Cleveland past the Toronto Raptors 126-113 in the best-of-seven series at Rocket Arena. Game 2 will be Monday at 7 p.m., also at Rocket Arena. Mitchell extended his NBA record to nine consecutive games of 30 or more points in Game 1 of a playoff series. "You could see the focus," Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. "He gets more locked in than ever. The goal now is to sustain it. "I loved how downhill he was. He was more rim-oriented, paint-oriented." Mitchell said he's been focusing on getting to the basket more. He made 11 of 20 from the field, four of seven from the 3-point line and six of seven from the foul line. "I was just trying to set the tone of aggression," Mitchell said. Swingman Max Strus came off the bench to score 24 points, including a 4-for-6 performance from long distance. Harden was also dynamic with 22 points and a game-high 10 assists. "He commands the game," Atkinson said. The Cleveland coach said his point guard displays poise, confidence, toughness and a lot of step-back 3-pointers. "He's not one-dimensional," Atkinson said. Harden was 8-for-17 from the field, 4-for-7 from the 3-point line. "He's one of the best players in the world," Strus said. "We're lucky to have him." Harden said he didn't think the Cavs played very well, even though they shot .550 from the field, .500 from deep. They also outrebounded Toronto 33-27. "We missed a lot of shots in the first half," he said. One thing in Cleveland's favor was that it limited the Raptors to three fastbreak points. They were first in the NBA in that category during the regular season. "As long as we get good shots and not turn the ball over, we should be able to limit them in transition," Harden said. Another key aspect of the victory was that they held Toronto forward Brandon Ingram to one shot from the field in the second half. He had 13 of his 17 points in the first half. "Dean Wade made it tough on Ingram," Strus said. "That set the tone and everyone followed." The 6-foot-8, 205-pound Ingram was Toronto's leading scorer at 21.5 during the regular season. "You're not stopping him," Atkinson said. "You can try to slow him down. He's an incredible shot-maker. We engaged him physically. We did it by committee. "He's one of the best scorers in this league. You have to throw bodies at him." Guard RJ Barrett paced the Raptors with 24 points, while forward Scottie Barnes added 21 points and seven assists. Point guard Jamal Shead, starting in place of the injured Immanuel Quickley, had 17 points and was 5-for-6 from the 3-point line. Cleveland took control of the game with a staggering 21-6 run to start the second half. The Cavs outscored Toronto 36-22 in the third quarter to assume a 97-76 advantage heading into the final quarter. Harden is 13th all-time in playoff points with 3,910. "We have a long way to go," he said. "It's one game at a time. We have to focus on what we can do better. They are going to come out (in Game 2) and be more aggressive." Cavs power forward Evan Mobley finished with 17 points and seven rebounds, while center Jarrett Allen had 10 points and seven rebounds. Cleveland has faced Toronto three times in the playoffs (2016, 2017 and 2018) and won all three series. Contact Bob Finnan at (440) 329-7135 or rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.