The Raptors continue their road trip, heading north from Texas to Ohio, where they’ll get their first look at this season’s Cleveland Cavaliers squad. The two teams will kick off the third annual NBA Cup
in the Rocket Arena, competing for first blood in the tournament, and the first steps to the pile of cash awarded to the victors.
Both teams are coming off of road losses, with the Raptors nursing their wounds from Wednesday’s defeat by the Houston Rockets, and the Cavs being trounced by the Boston Celtics on the same day. The teams have seen a marginal difference in success in the first five games, with the Raptors sitting on a 1-4 win-loss ratio, and the Cavaliers a 3-2, reflecting some continuity from last season’s dynamic. The Raptors’ Eastern Conference opponents have a balanced back-court and front-court, led by perennial All-Star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell while being anchored by the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Evan Mobley. However, both teams are entering Friday’s game battered, without important members of their lineups. This game will be a test to see how well each team is able to perform without some of their most important starters.
Big Man Problems
With Jakob Poeltl missing tonight’s game, the Raptors are particularly shorthanded at the centre position, not ideal when going up against an All-NBA, All-Defensive menace in Mobley. In the past two games, the Raptors have matched up with star big men and have been thoroughly defeated. We were killed on the boards by the Rockets led by Alperen Sengun, and similarly served as a coming out party for Cooper Flagg and the Mavericks, who dropped a season high 22 points, while Anthony Davis picked up 25 and 10 against Toronto.
Even with 6 ‘9 Sandro Mamukelashvili backing up Collin Murray-Boyles, and Scottie Barnes bringing his length and defensive prowess, playing against two experienced big men in Mobley and Allen will be a challenge for the Raptors. However, injury concerns from the Cavaliers might negate this issue.
Bruised and Battered
While the absence of Poeltl will be strongly felt for Toronto, the Cavs are in a similar situation: with Darius Garland out, their primary facilitator is no longer a weapon in their arsenal, and the team is is considerably worse shape than it would be otherwise. The Cavaliers, however, have the potential for an even more barren roster should potential injuries take shape for Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen. If the Cavs are indeed forced to play without the bulk of their starters, this would decisively shift the matchup in favour of the Raptors who are for the most part healthy, starting the season.
Both Barnes and Brandon Ingram are coming off high scoring games in Houston, and seeing them recapture that energy tonight against the Cavs would be ideal. With Donovan Mitchell potentially out, the Raptors embodying some of their new offensive energy and aggressive defense to focus on outscoring the Cavs could be their key to success.
The Cavaliers serve as the Raptors’ most formidable opponents in the group stage for the NBA Cup, and starting the tourney by taking advantage of Cleveland’s injuries could be the key to getting that much closer to Toronto hoisting their first trophy since 2019.
Game Information and Details
Game time: 7:30 pm EST
Watch On: TSN
Injury Report:
Toronto: Jakob Poeltl (Out – back)
Cleveland: Donovan Mitchell (Questionable – hamstring), Jarrett Allen (Questionable – finger), Sam Merrill (Out – right hip), Darius Garland (Out – toe)
Projected Lineups
Toronto: Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Collin Murray-Boyles
Cleveland: Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, De’Andre Hunter, Jaylon Tyson
