When the Toronto Raptors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers on Halloween, the team’s fiercest doubters highlighted how the absence of key rotational players poisoned the result.
With several key players returning for the Cavaliers, the Raptors were ready to prove that they need to be taken more seriously in the Eastern Conference.
The Raptors may have finally gotten everyone’s attention after defeating the Cavaliers 126-113 on Thursday.
In addition to Toronto improving to 7-5 , winning six of its last
seven games, and being two games above. 500 for the first time since 2022, here are key takeaways from the matchup in a quarter-by-quarter recap:
Q1: The 2025-26 Raptors don’t panic
The first quarter was nearly completely void of rhythm for the Raptors. Whether it was the turnovers (five) or the fouls (seven), the Raptors looked discombobulated for most of the opening frame.
RJ Barrett picked up his second foul less than four minutes into the contest, which forced Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic to look to his bench earlier than he wanted. Rajakovic went to Gradey Dick first, but on the ensuing possession, Donovan Mitchell attacked the third-year wing to draw the foul. Seconds later, Rajakovic swapped out Dick with Ja’Kobe Walter. On the next trip down, Mitchell hunted Walter and drew another foul.
After missing the first game against the Raptors on Halloween, Cavaliers centre Jarrett Allen didn’t waste time making his presence felt. Allen finished the first 12 minutes with four points, two rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block. The centre is averaging 13.5 points and 9.3 rebounds in 24 career games against Toronto.
It wasn’t until the closing minutes of the first quarter that the Raptors finally found their groove. A lineup featuring Brandon Ingram flanked by a bench mob of Dick, Jamal Shead, Jamison Battle and Sandro Mamukelashvili, went on a 12-3 run to bring the Raptors within one point at the intermission.
Q2: Mob mentality
The average Raptors fan’s inevitable reflex to anoint a semi-productive bench group as the next “Bench Mob” can be tiresome. But this year’s bench does flash enough times to draw intrigue. They have a similar collection of compelling traits that the original bench mob had, even if this iteration feels more like an island of misfit toys.
It begins with Shead and Mamukelashvili. The latter had 11 points on perfect shooting by halftime. It was the fourth consecutive game that Mamukelashvili finished in double-digit scoring, extending a season-high for the new Raptor. The dynamic artillery he brings off the bench is a tremendous boost to the offence, particularly when teams intimidating length like the Cavaliers dare the Raptors to beat them from outside. Toronto finished the half with nine threes on 56 per cent shooting.
Shead is playing some of the best basketball in his young career. The Houston-product finished the game with eight points and seven assists. He’s also started to earn more trust from the coaching staff and Rajakovic has subsequently gone to lineups spearheaded by both Shead and Immanuel Quickley. The backcourt combination has also helped unlock another gear for Quickley, who excelled in a catch-and-shoot role with the New York Knicks. There was one sequence late in the second that showcased their potential as a tandem, when Shead sprinted out in transition and fired a skip pass over to Quickley, who then calmly knocked down a wing three. Shead and Quickley were +15 in the four-and-a-half minutes they played together in the half.
Q3: Playing the percentages
Even with Barrett getting whistled for an early third foul to begin the second half, the Raptors extended their lead to 71-54 and forced the Cavaliers to call a quick timeout at the 10:38 mark.
Cleveland responded with a 7-0 run and set the stage for a burst of energetic and inspiring play from Scottie Barnes. Realizing his team was in a slump, Barnes displayed some of his maturity and awareness when he attacked Evan Mobley to draw a foul. On the following inbound, Barnes found Quickley for two points. Moments later, Barnes looked like he was shot out of a cannon when he corralled a rebound and raced down the court. The former All-Star tossed a no-look pass to Jakob Poeltl for an easy two points.
The Cavaliers finally went to a zone and dared the Raptors to beat them from deep. While Toronto entered the contest as the ninth-best three-point shooting team (37.8 per cent), Cleveland banked on the fact that it was primarily due to a small sample size. The Raptors struggled on back-to-back possessions against the moving 1-2-2 zone. After a timeout to regroup, Barnes operated out of the post and found Walter for a dump-off dunk. Toronto would later go back to Barnes in the high post in the fourth to counter the zone.
Unfortunately for the Raptors, their shooting tendencies caught up to them. Dick hit the Raptors’ first and only three-pointer late in the quarter. Toronto finished 1-for-10 from beyond the arc in the third.
Q4: The next level
The best player on the court was Barnes, who ultimately finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and five blocks. He was spectacular against the Cavaliers, particularly as a “grab-and-go” type of initiator after securing defensive stops. The versatile forward also exhibited notable synergy with Poeltl in the half-court.
Barnes played with a contagious energy that fans haven’t consistently seen since his rookie year. It certainly popped on screen.
“Now he’s got ownership of this team,” said Jack Armstrong during the TSN broadcast. “You can see the growth and enthusiasm he has playing with these guys.”
