Donovan Mitchell nets 32 as Cavaliers overpower Raptors

Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points and James Harden added 22 points and 10 assists, powering the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 126-113 victory over the visiting Toronto Raptors in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first round series Saturday.

Max Strus had 24 points off the bench and Evan Mobley scored 17 for the fourth-seeded Cavaliers, who have won 11 straight playoff games over the Raptors. Game 2 is Monday in Cleveland, where Toronto is 0-8 all-time in the postseason.

Mitchell extended his league-record streak of scoring 30-plus points in a series opener to nine straight, two more than Michael Jordan had on two occasions. The Cavaliers' largest lead was 100-76 early in the fourth quarter on a Sam Merrill 3-pointer.

"When the playoffs begin, he just gets more locked in than ever," Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said. "I love how downhill he was today. The goal for him is sustaining this for however long we go."

RJ Barrett scored 24 points and Scottie Barnes contributed 21 points and seven assists for the fifth-seeded Raptors. Brandon Ingram added 17 points and Jamal Shead had 17 points in his playoff debut, starting for injured guard Immanuel Quickley (right hamstring strain).

"If we allow our opponent to score 126 points, it's going to be tough to beat them" Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic said. "They won the possession battle. And in transition, I thought we did a very, very poor job."

Harden became the fifth player in NBA history to appear in a playoff game in 17 seasons, joining Karl Malone, John Stockton, Tony Parker and Jason Kidd. He also moved past Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird (3,897) into 13th place in playoff points with 3,917.

Strus made back-to-back 3-pointers and followed with a layup in transition, giving the Cavaliers a commanding 82-60 lead midway through the third. Mitchell recorded 11 points in the period, which saw Toronto held to five made field goals.

"I just liked our energy and our effort," Strus said. "We set the tone early. We were solid, but there is still room to grow."

Cleveland held a 61-54 advantage at the half, fueled by Harden's 15 points and six assists and Mitchell's 13 points and four assists. The Raptors had four players in double figures with Ingram scoring 13 points and Barnes, Barrett and Shead with 11 apiece.

Mitchell had eight points and a pair of assists in the first quarter, including a strip of Shead that he turned into a Strus' layup at the buzzer and a 35-31 Cavaliers lead. Ingram and Barnes scored nine apiece.

Said Mitchell: "32 (points) is 32, but I'm happy I got a steal to end the half. Those are the little details that carry over to wins."

Both teams shot the ball well, but the Cavs buried 16 of 32 from 3-point range. They also enjoyed a significant advantage at 52-36 for points in the pain.

Cavaliers backup center Thomas Bryant (left calf strain) was inactive and has not played since April 5.

--Field Level Media

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This story was originally published April 18, 2026 at 1:19 PM.