Cleveland has everything... a winning basketball team, a bobcat, witchcraft — and now a game against Toronto!

The Toronto Raptors visit the Cleveland Cavaliers to face the top team in the Eastern Conference

The Toronto Raptors are in Cleveland, Ohio tonight to face the 16-1 Cleveland Cavaliers. after winning two games in a row for the first time all season last week, the Raptors are looking for that elusive third in a row (pizza party anyone???).

That will be a little tough though, judging by the Cavaliers dominance over the league in it’s first month. We will get to that though...

From a quick google search of Cleveland, here are all the things OTHER than the Cavs that defines the city:

• Cleveland is the birthplace of the Polish Boy sandwich, made with kielbasa sausage, french fries, barbecue sauce, and coleslaw.
• Cleveland was the first city to be powered by electricity in 1879.
• In 1952, Cleveland hosted the first ever rock concert, leading to the city being the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It’s the home of John Lennon’s official American Green Card.
• Apparently Cleveland is a huge hub for Witchcraft and Magic, super cool.
• It was the first place to experience with local anesthesia, which at the time was just cocaine! It was also the first place a successful blood transfusion was administered.
• in 2023, a bobcat was spotted in downtown Cleveland
• Cleveland was the home of the first indoor shopping mall.

Now that we all know a bit more about Cleveland, lets get into some game deets:

Game Info:

Where to Watch: 7:30 PM EST on SPORTSNET

Lineups:

Toronto: Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, Ochai Agbaji, Gradey Dick

Cleveland: Evan Mobley, Jaylon Tyson, Jarrett Allen, Donovan Mitchell, Ty Jerome

Injuries:

Toronto: OUT — Brown (Conditioning), Carton (G League), Chomche (G League), Olynyk (Back), Quickley (Elbow), Walter (G League) — QUESTIONABLE — Fernando (Ankle)

Cleveland: OUT — Wade (ankle), LeVert (unlisted), Strus (ankle) — QUESTIONABLE — Okoro (ankle)

Okay, let’s get to some basketball.

Scottie Barnes vs Evan Mobley

Back in the old days of 2021, The Toronto Raptors had the 4th overall pick while the Cavaliers had the 3rd pick. There was much debate about what the order of the draft would be. If the Cavs would pass on Mobley, allowing the Raptors to take him. If the Raptors would take Barnes or Jalen Suggs. Who was the better player among all of this.

I personally think the Raptors got a great player in Barnes, who ended up becoming the Rookie of the Year and an All-Star, but also think the comparison and pitting of him and Mobley together is dumb. They are both great players, and it’s fun to see them play against each other.

Now all of this to say, it’s one of the most important match ups of the night. Barnes is fresh back from injury, only having one game behind him after missing three weeks due to an orbital bone fracture. Mobley only scored 9 points in the Cavs last game, though they won big over New Orleans.

There will be big emphasis put on this match up, and Barnes has the ability to win it. That will be a huge part in the Raptors’ potential success.

Barrett and Gradey

These two will be essential in slowing down/keeping up with the Cavs. Ty Jerome scored 29 points in the Cavs last game, but Barrett has also been frequently putting up those numbers, and Dick had a streak of 30-point games a few weeks ago.

Donovan Mitchell is averaging over 24 point per game currently, but scored 10 in his last game. If he can be held to a similar number tonight, the Raptors could take advantage of it.

The Bench

When the Cavaliers beat the Pelicans last week, the bench scored 48 points. If their bench is producing to that level again tonight, the Raptors bench will need to attempt to keep up. the issue is the length of the Raptors injury list. It’s long.

Yet, Davion Mitchell was great off the bench in the Raptors’ win over Minnesota. Boucher also scored 20+ points off the bench in that game. The young guys in Shead and Mogbo have the tendency to have bursts of advanced game play, and of course Garrett Temple is there to steady the ship when needed.

Catch the Raptors play the Cavaliers tonight!