By james art TORONTO — Evan Mobley had 25 points and eight rebounds to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 136-106 loss at home to Toronto on Wednesday after the Raptors also lost starting point guard Immanuel Quickley.
Quickley had 13 points, four assists and two rebounds for Toronto (0-1) before leaving the game late in the first half with a right pelvic injury.
Montreal’s Chris Boucher came off the bench to lead Toronto with 18 points behind four 3-pointers. Sophomore Grady Dick added 16 points and star forward Scotty Barnes had nine points, six rebounds and five assists.
Donovan Mitchell added 21 points, three assists and two rebounds as Cleveland (1-0) led by as many as 33 points. Jarrett Allen scored 14 points and pulled down seven boards.
Food to take home
Cavaliers: Mobley, Allen and the rest of Cleveland’s forwards dominated the undersized Raptors throughout the game. Cleveland finished with 68 points in the paint to Toronto’s 38.
Raptors: Swingman RJ Barrett (dislocated shoulder) of Mississauga, Ont., was officially ruled out hours before kickoff, adding to Toronto’s long list of injured players. The Raptors’ starters kept it close in the first quarter — even leading by as many as seven points — but a lack of bench depth, compounded by Quickley’s injury, undid Toronto.
Key point
Quickley led the Raptors with 12 points when Cavaliers guard Darius Garland undercut him as they scrambled for a rebound with 4:19 left in the second. Quickley took a hard fall on his tailbone during the play and was clearly in pain while taking one of two free throws on Garland’s foul. Without Quickley at his best, Cleveland went on an 18-4 run to take a 69-49 lead into halftime.
Key statistics
Barnes was crowned the Raptors’ future last season after the trade for star Pascal Siakam. But he was 3 for 14 on field goal attempts, including 0 for 2 from three-point range. It was his first regular season game since March 1, when he suffered a season-ending injury.
Next up
Toronto hosts former head coach Nick Nurse and the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, while the Cavaliers will return to Cleveland to host the Detroit Pistons.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on October 23, 2024.
John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press