I think that was a massive mental hurdle game.
Yes, huge win to break a 3-game losing streak and also a 3-game losing streak to Toronto. VanVleet being out was a big help but the Cavs won every quarter and played well in every phase.
Garland was magnificent with a +39 in 34 minutes. Mitchell had a line of 35/6/4. Allen and Mobley were outstanding. However, the bench continues to struggle. Rubio was 0-for-5 with 4 fouls and 2 turnovers. Wade was 1-for-7 and missed several uncontested 3's.
I said in the preview that the key was 3-point shooting. The Cavs did better this time around, holding them to 36% while hitting 50% of their own. The Cavs outscored the Raps by 27 points from deep, reversing the trend of the first three games.
I also said Mitchell needs to get going after shooting 7-for-27 in the last two games against Toronto, and he put up 35 points in three quarters.
The Raptors lead the NBA in steals at 9.3 but only had four as the Cavs did a great job of protecting the ball. The Raptors are second in fast break points per game but the Cavs blew them away 23-6. The Raptors' game is getting steals and fast break points but the Cavs took that away from them.
The defense was very good as the Raptors shot just 38.7% and with nine minutes left Nick Nurse threw in the towel with his team down by 30.
If the Cavs can continue playing at this level on both ends of the court they will win a lot of games in the next few weeks. Toronto had won seven of eight, and even on the second night of a back-to-back on the road and without VanVleet they have a lot of talent. This was a much needed and very impressive win.