The playmaking of James Harden and the health of Scottie Barnes are key factors to watch in Game 6.
Barnes’ Health a Concern for Raptors
Most important for Toronto is the health of Scottie Barnes, who suffered a quad contusion in Game 5. After scoring 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting in the first half, Barnes had just three points and missed all six of his shots after halftime.
Barnes has been the Raptors’ most important player on both ends of the floor. On offense, he’s averaging 24 points and eight assists, with some terrific reads included. On defense, he’s spent most of his time defending James Harden (primarily) and Donovan Mitchell, also providing some help in the paint.
If his quad is still bothering him and he’s limited in any way, the Raptors could be in trouble.
Keys to Victory in Game 6
Turnovers, bench minutes and consistent scoring are among the factors to watch as the Cavs vs. Raptors series heads to Game 6.
The Raptors have done well in this series, given the continued absence of Immanuel Quickley, their most prolific 3-point shooter in the regular season. Even with Quickley, they were one of three playoff teams that ranked in the bottom 10 in both 3-point percentage and 3-point rate. Through five games in this series, they’ve been outscored by 54 points from beyond the arc.
Brandon Ingram left in the second quarter of Game 5 with heel inflammation and is listed as questionable for Game 6. He’s shot just 19-for-58 in this series and isn’t going to be particularly efficient over a large sample size, but is certainly capable of turning a game the Raptors’ way if he can get hot.
Cavaliers Looking to Close Out Series
The top half of the Eastern Conference bracket feels pretty wide open right now. The No. 8 seed Orlando Magic are one win from upsetting the top-seeded Detroit Pistons. And in the No. 4 vs. No. 5 seed series, the cumulative score through five games is Cleveland 559, Toronto 557.
More important than the point differential is that the Cavs survived a scare and won Game 5 at home. They looked to be in control of this series after the first two games, but they struggled to score in the two games in Toronto and this suddenly became a tight series.
The Cavs found their offense again in Game 5, but we’ll see if they packed it for another trip across the border.
The team that won the possession game was the team that won Games 1-4. Over the first two games, the Cavs got nine more shot opportunities than the Raptors. And over Games 3 and 4, the Raptors got 21 more shot opportunities than the Cavs.
Game 5 went the other way. Cleveland won despite getting a lot fewer shots. Turnovers were even, but the Raptors dominated the glass. The issue was that the Raptors’ 15 offensive rebounds resulted in only 13 second-chance points. The Cavs shot much better in the paint, from 3-point range.
Game 6 is on Friday.