Dennis Schroder comes off bench and comes up huge for Cavaliers in fourth quarter

CLEVELAND — The Cavs made headlines when they brought in James Harden at the trade deadline, but it was the deal they made just before that paid off big Wednesday. Cleveland also acquired Dennis Schroder in a three-team trade, and the 6-foot-1 reserve point guard came up huge in the fourth quarter in helping the Cavs rally past the Raptors 125-120 in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal at Rocket Arena. The Cavs take a 3-2 lead back to Toronto with a chance to clinch when the series continues Friday. Tip-off time is to be determined. "When you have a leader like that, a guy who's been there in those moments, to stay level-headed as a collective and he really led the charge, especially in that fourth just being everywhere," said Donovan Mitchell, who finished with 19 points. "You look at the 19 points, but his defensive presence, just being around, causing havoc and making them pay." Schroder didn't check into the game until the second quarter, but he immediately made his presence felt with a 3-pointer that stretched Cleveland's lead to 41-36. He made the most of his 4:55 before halftime with six points, going 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. His biggest impact before the second half may have come during halftime, when he addressed the team after Cleveland struggled in the first two quarters, trailing 74-67 and committing seven turnovers. "I was just trying to be aggressive," said Schroder, who scored 11 of his 19 points in the final 12 minutes. "I was speaking at halftime, just making sure that we play Cavs basketball. I tried to come out and bring the energy, try to help as much as I can. "We needed to win this game. It's all about momentum. They had the momentum going into Game 5 because they won two in a row. We played in front of our fans and we didn't play how we should play. I felt like I had to say something to the group. We can rise and go play Cavs basketball and play to our standards. That's what we did in the third quarter and the fourth quarter, as well. Now we just have to keep getting better." Cleveland trailed 103-100 after three quarters when Jaylon Tyson and Evan Mobley hit back-to-back 3-pointers, with Schroder assisting on Mobley's. He then scored four straight points and assisted on another Mobley three that helped maintain the lead at 113-108. The Raptors cut the lead to two points before Schroder scored five straight — a 16-foot pullup jumper and another three. That gave Cleveland enough buffer to keep Toronto at bay. There was a point late in the fourth when Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said he wanted to get Mitchell back in the game but his star guard insisted he keep riding Schroder's hot hand a little longer. "The guy has played in a lot of big games," Atkinson said. "When we talked about trading for him, that was one of the things that came up. This guy has played in huge games in the NBA and on the international team. This type of game fits him. I think it started with him getting to the rim and that loosened up the jumper for him." Contact Chris Sweeney at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on X.