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Although it's only one game, everything seemingly fell into place in Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson's regular season debut. Against the Toronto Raptors, Cleveland opened the 2024-25 season with a dominant 136-106 win and broke a few records along the way. It's the most points scored in a non-overtime regular season game on the road in franchise history. It's also the highest point total the Cavs have ever scored in a season opener, surpassing the previous mark set more than three decades ago.
“We did it on both ends,” Jarrett Allen said. “Our defense and offense were both superb tonight. We've been having an emphasis all summer on spacing within the offense. You could see that.”
The tone was set early by Cleveland star big man Evan Mobley. Mobley poured in a game-high 25 points on 9 of 14 shooting to go with eight rebounds, three assists, two steals, and three blocks in 27 minutes. It's just the sixth time Mobley has led Cleveland in scoring over the last two seasons. Although it's only one game, it gives insight into the leap many hoped Mobley would have this year.
“That's just what we expect him to do now,” Allen said of Mobley's performance. “We put the ball in his hands so he can be a star now, and he definitely lived up to that standard.”
Allen was no slouch, either. The All-Star big man finished the game with 14 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks. Alongside Mobley, Allen helped set the tone for how the Cavs plan to play this season. They'll rough opponents up on defense and then blow them out of the water on offense.
How the Cavs made the Raptors go extinct
Cleveland used that attitude to tear Toronto apart in the first half and never looked back. While it didn't happen immediately, they found a way to kill the Raptors slowly. The opening frame had six lead changes and five ties. But the Cavs took control after, outscoring the Raptors 36-17 in the second quarter, thanks mainly to a 20-4 flurry to close the half.
When the second half kicked off, Cleveland didn't let up its assault. The Raptors sometimes made things close in the second frame, narrowing the Cavs' lead to 18 points. However, despite Toronto's best efforts, that wasn't good enough. All Cleveland had to do was channel the same energy they had used to close out the second quarter.
Before the Raptors could even process what was happening, the Cavs had climbed to a 28-point lead entering the final frame. But once Atkinson's main ten-man rotation had further stretched the lead to as much as 31 points, Atkinson began to call off the dogs.
Slowly but surely, the new Cavs head coach subbed in rookie Jaylon Tyson and other reserves needing extra runs. By the time the final buzzer had sounded, all 13 players that Cleveland had available had played serious minutes against Toronto. More impressively, all 13 players had scored for the Cavs against the Raptors, making it a complete team effort.
It was an excellent debut for Atkinson and this new-look Cleveland offense. While not every night will be this easy for the Cavs, this win against the Raptors set the tone for this season. Cleveland is looking to prove they belong among the NBA's very best. Well, if they come out swinging like this every game, it'll be hard to deny them.
