Cavaliers outlast bruised Raptors in gutsy Game 5 victory, take 3-2 series lead: takeaways

Atlantic76ersCelticsKnicksNetsRaptorsCentralBucksBullsCavaliersPacersPistonsSoutheastHawksHeatHornetsMagicWizardsSouthwestGrizzliesMavericksPelicansRocketsSpursNorthwestJazzNuggetsThunderTimberwolvesTrail BlazersPacificClippersKingsLakersSunsWarriorsScores & ScheduleStandingsThe Bounce NewsletterNBA DraftPodcastsFantasyNBA OddsNBA PicksWhat Makes Up Championship DNA?Hollinger's Playoff PreviewPlayer Poll: Who is the MVP?Player Poll: Who Will Win Title?NBA Playoffs After struggling in Game 4, Evan Mobley put up 23 points and nine rebounds to help lead the Cavs to a Game 5 victory. Jason Miller/Getty Images Share article5The Cleveland Cavaliers held off the gritty Toronto Raptors with a pivotal 125-120 win in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first-round series on Wednesday night. Cleveland took a 3-2 lead in the series after clamping down defensively in the second half, holding the Raptors to 15-for-50 shooting (30 percent) after halftime. Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett combined for just three points on 1-for-12 shooting in the fourth quarter. Evan Mobley and James Harden led the Cavaliers with 23 points apiece. Donovan Mitchell and Dennis Schroder added 19 points each for Cleveland. Here are key takeaways, with Game 6 set for Friday at Toronto. The trade deadline loomed large for the Cavs in Game 5, for at least one reason other than THAT trade. Yes, Cleveland moved Darius Garland for James Harden for exactly what happened Wednesday night. Harden was largely (aside from the turnovers) what the Cavs needed him to be, especially when the Raptors were out to big leads in, well, each of the first three quarters. But tonight, I am thinking about Dennis Schröder, playing for his 11th NBA team, on the court in the game’s closing moments. He shot 5 of 8 in the fourth quarter for 11 of his 19 points and added two assists. He was on the floor as a closer with Cleveland’s other four starters – taking the spot of Jarrett Allen. Schröder is emblematic of how the Cavs saved their season. They’d traded for Lonzo Ball, realized it was a bad trade, and pivoted to Schröder. Just like Cleveland decided Garland was not going to work, not at his huge price tag, playing next to Donovan Mitchell. A little ironic that Schröder shined on a night that his Sacramento teammate who also came over in the trade, Keon Ellis, was out of the rotation for the first time this series. Coach Kenny Atkinson made numerous lineup adjustments, taking minutes away from Ellis and giving them to Thomas Bryant. He also swapped Max Strus for Dean Wade as starters. The biggest move was sticking with Schröder, who had struggled in the series but delivered when the Cavs absolutely had to have it. — Joe Vardon All series long, even as one of their two All-Stars has struggled, the Toronto Raptors have spoken about how important Brandon Ingram has been for them. Whether because of his defensive contributions or the attention the Cavaliers were paying to him in the half court, he was proving useful to the Raptors even when he couldn’t find his shot. It turns out they were telling the truth — if not for those reasons, than for a more basic one: They’re just running out of guys without him. Ingram left Wednesday’s Game 5 with right heel inflammation, and the Raptors, already shy on offensive options, essentially ran out of them. Case in point: A.J. Lawson, who spent most of the year on a two-way contract and didn’t play at all in the first half, started for Ingram in the second half. Those minutes were a disaster, and he was benched for the rest of the half. Later in the second half, the Raptors were so squeezed for scoring that they started running two-man actions with Jakob Poeltl, who at times has looked like he might be played out of this series, and Jamison Battle, a 3-point specialist. Not surprisingly, the Raptors went nearly six minutes without a field goal during a stretch that bridged the third and fourth quarters. They scored just 17 in the fourth quarter. Simply, without Ingram and the injured Immanuel Quickley, too much is on Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett. Both played admirably, but Barnes had the ball in his hands far less in the second half than the first, and spent more time guarding away from the ball. He was also dealing with a quadriceps injury he suffered in the second quarter. If that’s the case, any shot the Raptors have at extending this series beyond Friday’s Game 6 might involve magic. — Eric Koreen The Cavs saved their season with a terrific fourth quarter while their best player rested on the bench. Rather than rely on Donovan Mitchell to bail them out yet again, Evan Mobley and Dennis Schröder shot the Cavs to a 3-2 series lead and a chance to close out the Toronto Raptors on the road in Game 6. Mobley did not play well on the road in Games 3 and 4 of this series, but he was terrific back at home when the Cavs needed him most. His three 3-pointers, including two in the fourth quarter, allowed the Cavs to avoid the awkward conversation of facing elimination — at least for now — when the season began with championship aspirations. Schröder, meanwhile, is the type of player who can shoot his team into or out of a game. This time, his 11 points in the fourth quarter allowed the Cavs to pull away during a key four-minute stretch while Mitchell wasn’t even in the game. — Jason Lloyd Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms