Dennis Schroder scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter and James Harden finished with 23 points, rallying the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 125-120 victory over the visiting Toronto Raptors in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first-round series yesterday (Philippine time).
Fourth-seeded Cleveland, which trailed by 12 points on multiple occasions, has won all three of its home games so far.
The Cavaliers used a 27-8 run that began late in the third to seize a 122-111 lead on two Max Strus free throws with 4:19 remaining. Schroder was the catalyst, igniting the sellout crowd with a midrange jumper and three-pointer midway through the fourth.
Evan Mobley had 23 points and nine rebounds, and Donovan Mitchell scored 19 for Cleveland. Harden also had nine rebounds, five assists and six turnovers in a series-high 39:45 minutes.
RJ Barrett paced the Raptors with 25 points and Ja’Kobe Walter scored a career playoff-high 20 points and made 6-of-14 three-point attempts. Jamal Shead added 18 points off the bench and Scottie Barnes had 17 points and 11 assists for Toronto.
Raptors small forward Brandon Ingram injured his right heel in the second quarter and did not return, leaving them without two starters as point guard Immanuel Quickley will miss the entire series with a right hamstring strain.
Point guards Walter and Shead combined to make 10 three-pointers after going 0-for-17 in the previous two games.
Mobley made a three-pointer and Schroder hit a layup to complete a 13-0 run that gave the Cavaliers a 108-103 advantage early in the fourth.
Barrett made four free throws to open the third, allowing the Raptors to equal their largest lead at 79-67. After Barnes and Harden were separated on a jump ball by the officials, Mitchell had eight points and cut Cleveland’s deficit to 103-100.
Walter scored 17 points and five three-pointers, and Barnes had 14 points and eight rebounds as Harden had 19 points at the break, committing four turnovers in the second alone.
Harden scored 14 points and played the entire first, which saw Toronto jump ahead 22-10 behind eight points from Barnes before the Cavaliers rallied to go in front 38-34. Mitchell drained a 38-footer at the buzzer. (Field Level Media / Reuters)