The Cleveland Cavaliers got run off the floor in Game 3 against the Toronto Raptors.
All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.
Donovan Mitchell
15 points, 3 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 turnovers
Mitchell didn’t do enough tonight. Simple as that.
It’s unusual to see Mitchell so uninvolved in a playoff game. The Raptors aggressively denied him the ball — and neither the Cavs nor Mitchell seemed overly willing to challenge that. They instead allowed Toronto to dictate the terms of engagement, keeping Mitchell off the board with just 15 points on 16 shot attempts.
All the while, he was targeted in the pick-and-roll by Toronto’s offense. He didn’t fare very well there, either.
Grade: F
James Harden
18 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 8 turnovers
You’ve seen this type of game before from Harden.
More turnovers than field goals made is painful. Not hustling back after turning it over is worse. Harden’s defense was bad, and for the first time in Cleveland, his offense didn’t even come close to making up for it.
Grade: F
Evan Mobley
15 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
Mobely was able to feast in Game 2 as a result of Mitchell and Harden breaking down the defense and then feeding him with an advantage.
Tonight, however, Scottie Barnes expertly denied Harden the ball in the backcourt. That forced Mobley to bring the ball up the floor and create for himself more than at any other point in the series.
The results weren’t awful, with Mobley dishing 7 assists and actually finding a brief groove in the second half. But that moment was fleeting — and most of those possessions ended in a drained shot clock with nothing to show for.
Worse, I think this was one of the least impactful defensive games of Mobley’s career. He was shockingly absent while the Raptors scored 60 points in the paint.
Grade: D
Jarrett Allen
12 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks
The Cavs can’t afford for Allen to slip now. He’s been crucial to their success all season, but is once again looking like an afterthought as the team jacks three-pointers and stretches him too thin defensively by asking him to cover for an unreasonable amount of breakdowns.
It didn’t help that Allen himself seemed lethargic tonight, too. A recipe for yuck.
Grade: F
Dean Wade
5 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal
Finally, something decent to talk about.
Wade’s still a non-threat on offense. And that has constricted their ability to generate clean looks as the Raptors are starting to ignore him in favor of packing the paint. Those drive-and-kicks to Wade almost always end in a swing pass before resetting the offense. The guy just doesn’t want to shoot.
That said, Wade remains a bright spot defensively and was crushing the Raptors with his offensive rebounding. Wade’s ceiling is clearly defined, but he did all of the floor-raising things tonight to justify his minutes.
Grade: C+
Max Strus
15 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
Strus could sense trouble in the water. He entered the game and immediately began firing away, briefly swinging the momentum and finishing with 15 points on 4-8 three-point shooting.
I really don’t have anything bad to say. Strus unloaded the clip and did so efficiently. This one wasn’t on him.
Grade: B+
Keon Ellis
0 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block, 1 turnover
Ellis has only made one shot so far in this series. He didn’t even attempt one tonight. The margin for error is getting too thin to keep him on the floor. Not to mention, his defense continues to fall by the wayside. Ellis takes some extremely questionable angles when navigating screens — and the Raptors have figured that out.
Grade: D–
Jaylon Tyson
13 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds,
Tyson was one of the only other bright spots. He’s finally dispatched those ‘first playoff’ jitters and is playing like the version of himself that we saw in the regular season. Tyson shot 3-6 from downtown and had a few shots rattle in and out. The Cavs would love for him to continue playing like this.
Grade: B
Sam Merrill
3 points, 3 rebounds
Toronto has totally taken Merrill off the board. He just can’t find any daylight. And trust me, this is a player who doesn’t need much room to get a shot off. The fact that he only attempted two three-pointers in 18 minutes tells you everything you need to know about the Raptors’ defensive game plan.
Grade: D+
Dennis Schroder
3 points, 1 rebound, 3 turnovers
Yeesh.
Three turnovers in five minutes is enough to stay on the bench for the rest of the game series.
Grade: F
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