CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers continued a strong introduction to the 2026 NBA playoffs, defeating the Toronto Raptors 115-105 on Monday, April 20, in Game 2 of their best-of-seven first-round series at Rocket Arena.
The duo of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden delivered again, leading the Cavs as they seized wire-to-wire victory and a 2-0 series lead. Game 3 is scheduled for 8 p.m. Thursday, April 23, in Toronto.
Here is how Game 2 between the fourth-seeded Cavs and fifth-seeded Raptors unfolded through our updates:
Cavs defeat Raptors 115-105 in Game 2
Guards Donovan Mitchell and James Harden led the Cavs with 30 and 28 points, respectively. Forward Evan Mobley added 25 points and eight rebounds. Center Jarrett Allen had 10 points and three rebounds.
The Cavs had three players score 25-plus points in the same playoff game for just the third time in franchise history.
The Raptors were paced by forward Scottie Barnes’ 26 points, followed by guard RJ Barrett’s 22 points. All-Star forward Brandon Ingram had just seven points.
Donovan Mitchell makes back-to-back shots to give Cavs 104-90 lead vs. Raptors with 3:53 left in the fourth quarter of Game 2
Need some breathing room? The Cavs did, and All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell delivered.
With 4:13 left in the fourth quarter and the Cavs leading by nine points, Mitchell made a stepback 3-pointer. Then, after a steal by Cavs point guard James Harden, Mitchell set up the offense and drove for a layup. The back-to-back shots by Mitchell gave the Cavs a 104-90 advantage during a timeout with 3:53 left in the fourth quarter.
Mitchell has 26 points on 11-of-20 shooting from the field (4 of 9 on 3-pointers) thus far in Game 2.
Cleveland Cavaliers lead Toronto Raptors 92-86 with 6:46 left in fourth quarter
The Cavs led the Raptors 92-86 with 6:46 left in the fourth quarter.
Cavs second-year wing Jaylon Tyson continues to have interesting moments in this young postseason. Tyson fouled Raptors forward Scottie Barnes with 10:28 and tried to help Barnes off the floor before Toronto guard RJ Barrett pushed Tyson out of the way. The situation was quickly defused. Then Barnes immediately turned another Tyson foul into a three-point play with 10:22 left.
Tyson earned some redemption by draining an open 3-pointer on an assist from point guard James Harden, boosting Cleveland’s lead to 90-80 with 9:39 remaining.
But the Raptors aren’t going away. Big man Sandro Mamukelashvili drove for a layup against forward Evan Mobley, cutting the Raptors’ deficit to six points with 6:46 left.
Who’s winning Cavs-Raptors Game 2?
The Cavaliers will take an 84-77 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Raptors have started trying to muscle their way to the rim, as 18 of their 29 third-quarter points came in the paint. Brandon Ingram, though, has been held to four points and has largely been a non-factor to this point. He’s just 2 for 11 from the field and has never looked comfortable tonight.
Raptors cut into Cavs lead in third quarter
The Cavs have remained in control, though a corner 3 by Ja’Kobe Walter has cut Cleveland’s lead to 79-71 with 2:04 left.
It’s been all Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and Evan Mobley for the Cavs on the offensive end. All three have exactly 21 points and have accounted for 63 of the Cavs’ 79 points to this point. They’ve dominated the ball for the Cavs, and it’s been enough so far.
Cavaliers extend Game 2 lead vs Raptors
Donovan Mitchell and James Harden are proving too much for the Raptors to handle, and the Cavs now lead 68-55 with 7:37 left in the third quarter. The Raptors are already down to two timeouts remaining for the rest of the game.
Mitchell and Harden both have 21 points thus far and have both been terrific for the Cavs. On one possession, the Raptors blocked both Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley at the rim, only to do all that work and then watch Harden hit a floater anyway.
Cavs lead Raptors by 6 at halftime of Game 2 in NBA playoffs
The Cavs will take a 54-48 lead into halftime.
The Cavs haven’t been able to extend their lead past a certain point, but they also haven’t lost any ground to Toronto.
James Harden (16 points), Donovan Mitchell (15 points) and Evan Mobley (12 points) have led the way scoring-wise for the Cavs. Harden, though, does have four turnovers.
Sam Merrill had a very active, physical first half on the defensive end, often being pushed around by the much larger Brandon Ingram. But Merrill has largely held his own, even in the paint.
Perhaps the craziest stat of the first half: Brandon Ingram has zero points on only six shot attempts. If you told the Raptors that Ingram wouldn’t score but they’d only be down six, though, that almost might be a reason for optimism.
Cavaliers lead Raptors late in second quarter of Game 2
The Cavs have led the entire night thus far and currently hold a 52-45 advantage with 1:52 left in the first half.
James Harden and Donovan Mitchell have 16 and 13 points, respectively, to led the way. No Raptor is yet in double figures. The Cavs have done well to have one of those two on the floor at all times, and Cleveland has maintained control of Game 2 with that strategy.
James Harden hits highlight-reel 3 over Scottie Barnes
The Cavs are again up double-digits and James Harden is heating up.
First, Harden buried an off-balance 3 as the shot-clock expired to save a possession. Then, Harden sent Scottie Barnes to the floor with a cross over and then shot a 3 that rattled around the rim, bouncing a few times before dropping to put the Cavs up 50-40 late in the second quarter.
Harden is up to 16 points tonight.
Cavs, Raptors score update in Game 2 of NBA playoffs
Evan Mobley dunked home a put-back opportunity, and the Cavs now lead 38-29 with 8:54 left in the second quarter.
The Raptors momentarily cut Cleveland’s lead to two points before the Cavs quickly ran it back up to nine. Donovan Mitchell is up to a game-high 13 points and three rebounds.
Mobley has eight points, three rebounds and two assists.
Cavs lead Raptors 26-19 at end of first quarter. Toronto’s Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes go scoreless in opening quarter of Game 2
The Cavs led the Raptors 26-19 at the end of the first quarter.
Guard Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs in the opening quarter with seven points, followed by point guard James Harden and center Jarrett Allen with six points apiece.
Rookie forward Collin Murray-Boyles had four points off the bench to pace the Raptors through a quarter. All-Star forwards Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes both went scoreless in the first quarter. Ingram went 0-of-4 shooting from the field. Barnes missed his lone field-goal attempt (a 3-pointer).
Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill’s right hand is worth monitoring
With 2:03 left in the first quarter, Cavs guard Sam Merrill grabbed his right hand after battling for a loose ball.
Merrill has been dealing with an injury to the hand, but he hasn’t been listed on the Cavs’ injury report. He had ice on the hand after Game 1.
“Everything’s good,” Merrill said of the hand after shootaround on the morning of April 20.
Cavaliers lead Raptors 19-12 with 4:02 left in first quarter. Brandon Ingram scoreless so far
The Raptors cut the Cavs’ lead to 19-12 when forward Collin Murray-Boyles made a jump shot with 4:03 left in the first quarter. The shot preceded a timeout with 4:02 left.
Raptors All-Star forward Brandon Ingram attempted just nine field goals in Game 1 and publicly lamented the fact afterward. Through roughly the first eight minutes of Game 2, Ingram is 0-of-4 shooting from the field and has yet to score.
Cavs lead Raptors 15-7 with 6:54 left in the first quarter. Donovan Mitchell makes two acrobatic shots look rather easy
The Cavs opened the game on a 6-0 run. Point guard Jamal Shead drained a 3-pointer to give the Raptors their first points, but Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell made a highlight jump shot from an awkward position with 10:10 left in the first quarter as Raptors center Jakob Poeltl fouled him. Mitchell missed the subsequent foul shot, and the Cavs led 8-3.
The Raptors had to be frustrated after they played stellar half-court defense during a possession ending with another acrobatic shot by Mitchell. Just before a would-be shot clock violation, Mitchell made a turnaround fadeaway to give the Cavs a 12-7 edge with 8:31 left.
Need more evidence Mitchell is feeling it early in Game 2? He nailed a stepback 3-pointer to inflate Cleveland’s cushion to 15-7 leading into a timeout with 6:54 remaining. Mitchell had seven of the Cavs’ first 15 points.
Below is some pregame information.
Bernie Kosar and Deshaun Watson attend Cavs vs. Raptors Game 2
Browns legend Bernie Kosar and Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson are in attendance for Game 2.
As evidenced by Browns fans who still wear his jersey long after his playing days, Kosar has kept the number 19 famous in Northeast Ohio for generations. Watson also has 19 attached to his Browns career. He is 9-10 as a Cleveland starter.
Cavs starting lineup in Game 2 vs Raptors
Cleveland’s Game 2 starters are the same as they were for Game 1. Here they are:
Raptors starting lineup in Game 2 vs Cavaliers
Toronto’s Game 2 starters are the same as they were for Game 1. Here they are:
Cavs injury report vs. Raptors for Game 2
The Cavs ruled out backup forward/center Thomas Bryant (left calf strain) for Game 2. Bryant missed the final four games of the regular season and Game 1 with the injury.
Raptors injury report vs. Cavs for Game 2. Immanuel Quickley ruled out
The Raptors initially listed starting point guard Immanuel Quickley (right hamstring strain) as questionable, but Toronto coach Darko Rajaković said during pregame media availability Quickley has been ruled out for Game 2. He also missed Game 1.
Where to watch Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors. TV, streaming and radio info for Game 2 of Cavs playoffs
Game 2 between the Cavs and Raptors will be televised nationally by Peacock. The local radio broadcast can be heard via WTAM (1100-AM) or WMMS (100.7-FM).
Cavs vs. Raptors prediction
Our Game 2 predictions can be found here.
Cavaliers, Raptors 2026 playoffs schedule
Here is the schedule for the Cavs-Raptors series, with the dates and times the NBA has announced thus far:
Eastern Conference playoff bracket 2026
Recent Cavs playoff history
This is the fourth consecutive season the Cavs have made the playoffs.
Here are the results from their previous three playoff appearances:
The Akron Beacon Journal sports department can be contacted via email at bjsports@thebeaconjournal.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavaliers score vs Raptors in Game 2, NBA playoffs highlights, stats
Reporting by Ryan Lewis and Nate Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
