Dribbles: Cavs have the edge now; can they finish the job?

April 29, 2026

CLEVELAND — Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ 125-120 home win over the Toronto Raptors in Game 5 on Wednesday.

1. These are the NBA playoffs, and sometimes, you get a lift from an unexpected source. Happens every series. On Wednesday, the Cavs got two.

2. That would be none other than reserve guard Dennis Schroder, and the three-point shooting of Evan Mobley. Toronto didn’t gameplan for either of those things.

3. Let’s start with Schroder. All he did was score 11 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Cavs overcome a troubling deficit and an otherwise underachieving night. They weren’t bad; but until the final 12-ish minutes, they certainly weren’t very good. Not Game 5 good, anyway.

4. Schroder did more than just finish with 19 points. He attacked. He talked a little smack. He brought an edge. He went 3-of-6 on threes. The Cavs needed every last bit of it.

5. Coach Kenny Atkinson: “The guy’s played in a lot of big games. We were talking about that when we traded for him (in February).”

6. Atkinson mentioned Schroder’s resiliency. His toughness. His impact in defending taller Raptors wing RJ Barrett. “That’s why we call him Dennis the Menace,” he said.

7. Then there’s Mobley. He had seven points at halftime. It looked like it might be another one of those nights. Toronto was again remarkably physical and aggressive inside. So Mobley stepped out — and buried all three of his three-pointers.

8. Atkinson: “Those threes, we needed them. They gave us some separation. I know that’s not his bread and butter, but he hit them and he hit them with confidence.” Mobley finished with 23 points and nine rebounds.

9. The Cavs did plenty of other things right. They did plenty wrong, too, but we can overlook all that now. There’s only one thing that matters at this time of year, and it’s not style points. It’s coming out on top.

10. James Harden was his generally steady self with 23 points, nine boards, and five assists. He also committed six turnovers, but overall, he did a good job of keeping things calm.

11. Donovan Mitchell continued to sort of struggle (for him), scoring 19 on 7-of-17 shooting. He did bury a 38-footer at the first-quarter buzzer. It felt like some needed momentum.

12. Mitchell admittedly hasn’t been himself, but promised to keep firing away if the need arises. On this night, he mostly reserved all praise for Schroder and the others.

13. Max Strus got the start ahead of Dean Wade, and the Cavs may have paid for it a little defensively early. Atkinson said the move was made to give the Cavs “a little more spacing offensively.” He added that “it had nothing to do with the way Wade has been playing.”

14. Jarrett Allen added nine points and for the second time this series, tied his career high with three swats. These ones were biggies. Still, it’d be nice if the Cavs could get a bigger night from Allen offensively. There’s no time like Game 6 (Friday, at Toronto) for that to happen.

15. Sam Merrill also scored nine and gave his typical all-around and underrated showing. He finished a plus-19. Strus and Jaylon Tyson again brought the energy, scoring eight points each.

16. Wade finished with seven points on 3-of-10 shooting. “I love the fact Dean Wade took 10 shots,” Mitchell said. (I bet Dean Wade liked it, too.)

17. Defensively, the Cavs did the opposite of Game 4, getting stops when they needed them most. Barrett led Toronto with 25 points. Ja’Kobe Walter scored 20 one game after finishing with zero. The Cavs held Scottie Barnes to 17 on 6-of-16 shooting, which in and of itself is sort of a victory.

18. Meanwhile, Brandon Ingram was forced to leave with a heel injury at the start of the second quarter. Definitely something to monitor ahead of Friday. He hasn’t done much in this series, but he’s always capable of a big night.

19. Atkinson on the fourth quarter: “We limited them to one shot. That seems like the key to the series for us.”

20. Now, how do the Cavs avoid a Game 7? “By winning the possession game,” Atkinson said. “It really comes down to that. Are we gonna win the scrums, are we gonna get the rebounds, are we gonna take care of the ball? Otherwise, we’re gonna be back here for a Game 7.”

21. The Cavs are 0-2 in Toronto so far. “These are high-pressure moments,” Atkinson said. “… We kind of passed that mental toughness test tonight. Now the big one is, can we do that on the road?”