After ending the season 52–30, the Cleveland Cavaliers secured the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference and were matched up with the 5th-seeded Toronto Raptors in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. The Cavs’ season was highlighted with their blockbuster trade for future Hall of Famer James Harden in Feb. 2026, pairing him up with emerging superstar Donovan Mitchell to add firepower to their championship run.
The first game of the series began with the Cavaliers defeating the Raptors at home, 126–113. Donovan Mitchell, coming off of an All-NBA First Team selection in the 2025 season, led both teams in scoring with 32 points on 55 percent shooting and 57 percent from three. Max Strus was impactful off the bench, finishing with 24 points, shooting 80 percent from the field and 67 percent from three on six shots.
Harden also contributed with a double-double, scoring 22 points and dishing out 10 assists. However, he also recorded four turnovers, an issue that proved to be a recurring problem throughout the remainder of the series.
The Cavaliers were back at home for game two, where they once again triumphed over the Raptors. The Cavaliers held a lead for 99 percent of the game, a dominance that came from a combined 83-point explosion from Mitchell, Harden, and Evan Mobley.
The series held its first contest in Toronto for game three, where the Raptors captured their first win. The Raptors pulled away halfway through the fourth, winning 126–104.
Barnes, after capturing his second All-Star selection this season, played exceptionally well with a game-high 33 points and 11 assists while shooting 60 percent and above both from three and the field.
Barrett matched Barnes’s game-high points to go along with his own balanced performance of five rebounds and five assists, thanks in part to his hyperefficient 75 percent shooting from three.
Harden led the way for the Cavaliers with 18 points but turned the ball over eight times, putting his turnover average for the series at 6.9.
The Raptors won again, 93–89, at home in game four in another back-and-forth battle. The first three quarters all ended with single-digit leads, and both of the first two ended in buzzer beaters. Toronto held a 59–58 lead heading into the fourth. After multiple lead swaps at the beginning of the fourth, Harden hit his signature stepback three-pointer to give the Cavs a 77–74 lead with 6 minutes and 19 seconds to go.
The Cavs led by as much as eight points, but the Raptors clawed back and regained the lead for good with only 34 seconds to go, thanks to a pair of made free throws from Barnes.
The series returned to Cleveland for game five, where the Raptors were able to carry their momentum into the start of this game, storming out to a 12-point lead halfway through the first quarter.
The game once again stayed close until halfway through the fourth quarter, where the Cavs went on an 8–0 run to go up 122–111 with 4:19 to go. Unlike the last game, the Cavs held onto this lead, ultimately winning the game 125–120, on the back of Harden and Mobley, who each put up 23 points and nine rebounds.
After an even first quarter in game six, the Raptors took control of the game with a ten-point lead heading into halftime.
However, the Cavs stormed back with a 10–0 run and got the game within one point with 5:48 to go, setting the score at 96–95 Raptors. The Raptors were able to keep control of the lead until an Evan Mobley layup with 11 seconds to go tied the game and sent it to overtime.
In overtime, the most either team led by was two points, with Toronto having the ball down 110–109 with 10 seconds to go. With their season on the line, Barrett took a three point shot with three seconds to go that bounced vertically off the back rim and initially looked like a miss, until it fell back down and went in with 1.2 seconds to spare, giving the Raptors the 112–110 win and saving their season.
The series-deciding game seven was played in Cleveland in what seemed to be another game that would come down to the wire, as the score was tied 49–49 at the end of the first half.
However, the trend of the back-and-forth games ended in the second half — after the Cavaliers lead grew to 69–59 with 4:53 to go in the third, the difference was never within single digits for the rest of the game. The Cavaliers won 114–102 and took the series.
Following the win, the Cavaliers advanced to the second round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs, where they were matched up with the No. 1 seeded Detroit Pistons. The Pistons led the series 2–0 after winning game one 111–101 and game two 107–97.
The series continues Saturday, where the Cavaliers will host the Pistons in game three of the Eastern Conference Semifinals Saturday at 3 p.m.
