Cleveland Cavaliers' Evan Mobley dunks as Toronto Raptors' Jakob Poeltl looks on during the first half in Toronto. The Cavaliers won 136-106 on Oct. 23, 2024.Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press
Evan Mobley had 25 points and eight rebounds to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 136-106 rout in Toronto’s home opener on Wednesday as 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 contusion.
Chris Boucher of Montreal came off the bench to lead Toronto with 18 points behind four three-pointers. Sophomore swingman Gradey Dick added 16 points and all-star forward Scottie 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.
Takeaways
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 (sprained shoulder) of Mississauga, Ont., was officially ruled out hours before tipoff, adding to a long list of injured Toronto players. The Raptors’ starters kept it close in the first quarter — even leading by as many as seven points — but the lack of depth on the bench, compounded by Quickley’s injury, was Toronto’s undoing.
Key moment
Quickley was leading the Raptors with 12 points when Cavaliers guard Darius Garland undercut him as they battled for a rebound with 4:19 left in the second. Quickley took a hard fall on his tailbone on the play and was clearly in pain as he made 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 the intermission.
Key stat
Barnes was crowned the Raptors’ future last season after the trade of all-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.
Up next
Toronto hosts former head coach Nick Nurse and the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday while the Cavaliers will return to Cleveland to welcome the Detroit Pistons.