Cavaliers Take Game 1 Over Raptors in NBA Playoffs

Mitchell and Strus lead Cleveland to 126-113 victory in series opener

Apr. 19, 2026 at 9:34am

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A fractured, cubist-style painting depicting a basketball game, with sharp geometric shapes and planes of color representing the dynamic action on the court.The Cavaliers' offensive explosion in Game 1 leaves the Raptors searching for answers as the series shifts to Cleveland.Cleveland Today

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Toronto Raptors 126-113 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round NBA playoff series. Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points and Max Strus added 24 off the bench for the Cavaliers, who led by as many as 24 points in the fourth quarter. RJ Barrett scored 24 points and Scottie Barnes had 21 for the Raptors, who were without point guard Immanuel Quickley due to a mild hamstring strain.

Why it matters

This win gives the Cavaliers home-court advantage in the series as they look to advance past the opening round of the playoffs. The Raptors will need to make adjustments after struggling defensively and failing to contain Cleveland's offensive attack in Game 1.

The details

The Cavaliers broke open a close game with a 27-9 run spanning the end of the second quarter and start of the third. Strus scored 11 points during that stretch, knocking down all three of his 3-point attempts. Cleveland shot 10-of-16 from the field and 5-of-8 from beyond the arc during the run. The Cavaliers' largest lead was 24 points early in the fourth quarter.

  • The game was played on Saturday, April 19, 2026.
  • Game 2 of the series will be played on Monday, April 21, 2026.

The players

Donovan Mitchell

A star guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers who scored a playoff career-high 32 points in Game 1.

Max Strus

A key bench player for the Cavaliers who scored 24 points, including 11 during a decisive run in the second half.

RJ Barrett

A forward for the Toronto Raptors who scored a team-high 24 points in the loss.

Scottie Barnes

A rising star for the Raptors who contributed 21 points in the Game 1 defeat.

Immanuel Quickley

The Raptors' starting point guard who missed the game due to a mild hamstring strain.

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What they’re saying

“When you see the work he's put in all season, it's for this moment, right? This is a regular occurrence with Max, maybe not 24 (points), but just the energy level and boost he gives us.”

— Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers Guard

“We just kept saying in the timeouts (during the first half to) stay with it. We're going to get separation. We needed that separation for our confidence. Going into halftime if you are down, it's a harder conversation with the players to trust what we're doing.”

— Kenny Atkinson, Cavaliers Coach

“If we allow our opponent to score 126 points, it's going to be tough to beat them. Unfortunately, we had a very bad start to the third quarter with lack of execution. We were way too stagnant tonight.”

— Darko Rajakovic, Raptors Coach

What’s next

Game 2 of the series will be played on Monday, April 21, 2026 in Cleveland. The Raptors will look to make adjustments to slow down the Cavaliers' offense and even the series before it shifts to Toronto.

The takeaway

This game highlighted the Cavaliers' offensive firepower, led by the dynamic duo of Donovan Mitchell and Max Strus. The Raptors will need to shore up their defense if they hope to bounce back and make this a competitive series.