Donovan Mitchell’s Cleveland Cavaliers debut spoiled by Toronto Raptors in 108-105 opening night loss

TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors spoiled Donovan Mitchell’s Cleveland Cavaliers debut.

Inside a lively Scotiabank Arena, with a sellout crowd that was even more amped than usual for the opener, Cleveland’s season-long playoff quest began with a 108-105 loss.

There were plenty of moments throughout the game when Mitchell showed exactly why the Cavaliers acquired him from the Utah Jazz in a trajectory-altering September trade. He helped keep Cleveland’s offense running with All-Star point guard Darius Garland in the locker room because of a nasty eye injury suffered late in the first half.

Mitchell’s heroics weren’t enough.

He scored 31 points on 12 of 21 from the field, 2 of 8 from 3-point range and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line to go with nine assists. But Mitchell went the final 2:27 without a field goal attempt, as the scrappy Raptors cranked up the defensive intensity and swarmed Mitchell on every touch — a strategy that wouldn’t have been possible if Garland was available.

Last season, the Cavs wilted without Garland. They were 9.3 points per 100 possessions worse with Garland off the floor. But Mitchell gave Cleveland a fighting chance. The game slipped away in the six second-half minutes when he was resting, with the Cavs being outscored 15-6 during that pivotal stretch.

Cedi Osman provided a scoring lift off the bench, pouring in 17 points on 6 of 12 from the field and 3 of 6 from beyond the arc. Evan Mobley — in a highly anticipated showdown with the reigning Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes — added 14 points and six rebounds. Jarrett Allen recorded his first double-double of the season, scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 boards.

Toronto and Cleveland are viewed as Eastern Conference playoff contenders. Both looked the part Wednesday night in a chippy matchup that featured 16 lead changes, 17 ties and went down to the final buzzer.

With 16.3 seconds remaining and Cleveland trailing by four points, Mitchell made a pair of free throws, pulling the Cavs within two points. Raptors shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. then split a pair of freebies, giving Cleveland another chance.

But the Raptors purposely fouled Caris LeVert before the Cavs could get a look at a potential game-tying 3-pointer. LeVert made both. Then Precious Achiuwa’s late-game breakaway dunk extended the margin back to three. Mitchell’s 74-footer missed everything and the crowd erupted.

Garland finished with four points, three assists and five turnovers in 13 minutes before an inadvertent collision with Trent in the backcourt caused a left eye injury and led to the young star missing the final 28 minutes.

The Raptors had six players in double figures. Pascal Siakam set the pace with 23 points.

Mitchell spoke before the game about his uncontrollable excitement going into Wednesday night. He spent weeks envisioning the emotions when he put the Cavs jersey on for the first time.

It wasn’t the outcome he dreamed about.

Up next

The Cavs will stay on the road for a matchup against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.

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