The Toronto Raptors begin the back-end of their five-game Eastern Conference road trip against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST on TSN.
The matchup marks the second time in less than two weeks that the Raptors and Cavaliers play each other. In the previous contest, the Raptors defeated a depleted Cavaliers team 112-101. Since then, the Cavaliers are 5-1 and have leapfrogged the Raptors in the standings.
While Ochai Agbaji (lower back), Sando Mamukelsashvili (neck) and Collin Murray-Boyles (illness) all listed as questionable, here are three more storylines to pay attention to during the game.
The Cavaliers aren’t completely whole, but they’re in better shape than the last time the Raptors saw them. During that ten-point loss to Toronto, the Cavaliers were without Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, Sam Merrill and Max Strus.
Garland suffered an injury scare when he left in the third quarter of their 140-138 loss to the Miami Heat on Nov. 10. The six-foot-one guard experienced issues with the same toe which required surgery in the off-season. Garland could either miss the game against the Raptors or play on a minutes restriction.
While the Raptors might avoid having to contain Garland, they’ll have their hands full with the expected return of Mitchell and Mobley. The former all-stars intentionally sat out on Wednesday in their rematch against the Heat due to rest, suggesting that the 8-3 Cavaliers have the Raptors scheduled on their calendar.
Allen is also expected to suit up and he’s historically been difficult to handle. Last season, Allen averaged 17 points and 11.3 rebounds against the Raptors. It’ll continue to be a challenge for Toronto if Jakob Poeltl can’t play (or isn’t healthy) and if Scottie Barnes gets into foul trouble.
After missing three games with a hip contusion, Merrill is averaging 12 points in 25.8 minutes over four games. Strus, after undergoing foot surgery, has returned to shooting activities on the practice court but is still weeks away from playing in games.
A constant battle for consistency
The Cavaliers may come out of the gates against the Raptors with renewed vigour. Part of that can be attributed to the fact that Toronto essentially knocked Cleveland out of the NBA Cup. Cleveland has never finished with a losing record in the tournament’s two-year history. They narrowly missed advancing past the group stage due to a point-differential tiebreaker in 2023-2024.
While the Raptors were healthier than the Cavaliers during their Halloween matchup, they were without Poeltl and Immanuel Quickley, with the latter still struggling with his jumper at the time. Quickly finished with four points on 22 per cent shooting against the Cavaliers. He also finished 0-for-3 from the perimeter.
Cleveland had a 90-86 lead with seven minutes remaining in the game. Toronto proceeded to go on a 19-8 run before Jamison Battle hit his sixth and final three with less than 40 seconds remaining. This was Battle’s early 2025-26 legacy game candidate, during which he knocked down all seven of his shot attempts. Battle has struggled to see the court since but could be relied on again if the Cavs pack the paint with their length.
Looking for the board man
If Poeltl, Mamukelashvili, or Murray-Boyles either misses the game or doesn’t look close to healthy, the Raptors could be in for a long night. Despite the Cavaliers only ranking 17th in the league in rebounds per game (43.5), they should be tough to deal with on Thursday.
Even if all three aforementioned players suit up, a negative outcome could add another reason to the ever-growing pile arguing for Toronto to trade for an additional piece to help the frontcourt.
Mobley is averaging 8.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks, while Allen is chipping in 7.7 rebounds and 1.0 block per game. The Raptors are 5-0 when they win the battle on the boards.
