Cavaliers defense was suspect in Game 3 loss in Toronto

It's human nature for fans to live and die with every playoff game. Even though the Cavaliers possess a 2-1 edge in their best-of-seven series with the Toronto Raptors, it's hard to overlook their humiliating 126-104 loss in Game 3 at Toronto on Thursday. The Eastern Conference first-round series resumes today at Scotiabank Arena. Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said the series is "far from being over." "I've been in this league too long to panic over one night," he said. "So, yeah, this one stings. We've got the rest of this series ahead of us." However, if the Cavs' defense doesn't improve drastically, there might not be a second round. They allowed the Raptors to shoot a scorching .575 from the field and .609 from the 3-point line in Game 3. Toronto attacked the rim with a vengeance against Cleveland's two big men, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. The game got out of hand in the fourth quarter when the Raptors outscored Cleveland 43-23 and shot .739 from the field (17-for-23) and .889 from long distance (8-for-9). The Cavs' defense has been suspect for much of the season. Once again, forward Jamison Battle was the X-factor for Toronto with all his 14 points in the final quarter on 5-for-5 shooting from the floor and 4-for-4 from the 3-point line. Battle, an Ohio State product, had a similar game at Rocket Arena Oct. 31 when he connected on 7-for-7 from the field for 20 points. Battle played just three minutes in Game 1 and never got off the bench in the second game. He was far from the Raptors' only scoring threat Thursday, as forward Scottie Barnes contributed 33 points and a game-high 11 assists. He totally outplayed Mobley, his Cleveland counterpart, who failed to even record one personal foul in the game. Guard RJ Barrett was also lethal with 33 points, while little-known rookie forward Collin Murray-Boyles had 22 points and eight rebounds. "Give credit where credit is due," Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell said. "We knew it was going to be a tough game. No team wants to go down 3-0. We were right there for the majority of the game and it got away in the fourth. But it's things we can control. Give them credit for protecting home court." Cleveland trailed 83-81 after three quarters before being blown to smithereens in the final period. Point guard James Harden paced Cleveland with 18 points, four rebounds and four assists. However, he was uncharacteristically sloppy with the ball and committed a game-high eight of the Cavs' 20 turnovers. Cleveland can't overcome that many mistakes against a good team like the Raptors. Mitchell, who topped the 30-point plateau in each of the first two games, was limited to 15 and was 1-for-7 from the 3-point line. Mobley finished with 15 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Strus had a strong game off the bench for Cleveland with 15 points, six rebounds, three assists and one steal. He made 5 for 10 shots from the field, 4 for 8 from distance. Strus is shooting .556 from the 3-point line (10-for-18) in the series. Game 3 was his 16th career postseason game with four or more 3-pointers. However, three other reserve players continue to struggle mightily in the series. Swingman Sam Merrill had a 3-pointer in Game 3 but has been almost non-existent. He's scored 15 points and has shot 3-for-10 from long distance in the first three games. He's needed for the Cavs to be successful. He's not on the injury list but has been bothered by a sore right hand/wrist. Veteran point guard Dennis Schroder had three turnovers in five minutes in the first half of Game 3 and didn't return after halftime. Guard Keon Ellis didn't score in Game 3 but did pull down four rebounds. He's managed just three points in the series. Many thought the Cavs had the decided edge off the bench against Toronto but that's not been the case. Another milestone Harden (1,143) is one assist shy of passing Tony Parker (1,143) for the sixth-most assists in NBA playoff history. With his 10th point of Game 3, Harden (3,963) passed Dwyane Wade for the 12th-most points in NBA postseason history. The Cavs have a 21-8 record (.724) with Harden in the lineup since making his Cavs debut on Feb. 7 at Sacramento. Good bloodline Cavs swingman Jaylon Tyson's brother, Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, was selected by the New Orleans Saints with the eighth pick in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday. They became the first siblings ever drafted in the 1st round in two different pro sports. Jaylon Tyson was the 20th overall pick in 2024 by Cleveland. Bob Finnan can be reached at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.