Cavaliers hold small lead over Raptors at the half
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The Cleveland Cavaliers lead the Toronto Raptors 57-51 at the half in their 2022-23 season opener at Scotiabank Arena.
Pascal Siakam led the way for the Raptors, with 15 points and nine rebounds. Gary Trent Jr. added 10 points.
The major off-season acquisition for Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell, contributed 13 points in his debut. Evan Mobley chipped in eight points and Cedi Osman provided a big 13 points off the bench.
Scottie Barnes checked out with a lot of frustration after being called for two questionable fouls, which brought his total on the night to three.
Toronto led by as many as 11 in the second quarter, but Osman energized the Cavaliers off the bench: his eight points were a force in a Cavaliers' 13-0 run to get them back in the game.
The Raptors opened the second quarter the same way they ended the first; a quick 5-0 run extended the lead to double digits.
Fred VanVleet and Siakam led the way through the first quarter, with a combined 12 points and four steals between the two. VanVleet took an elbow to the face as the quarter ended and was on the floor for a few minutes.
Mobley scored eight to lead the way for the Cavaliers in the first.
The first quarter featured eight lead changes and six ties, as neither team was able to assume control of the game flow.
Christian Koloko, the Raptors' only selection of the 2022 NBA Draft, made his debut for the team midway through the first quarter. He showcased a strong defensive effort and collected a couple of rebounds in his first shift.
After a scoring flurry to open the game, the defences settled in - a 13-13 tie midway through the first was brought on by three Raptors turnovers which led to eight points for the Cavs.
Siakam scored the first points of the Raptors season after an offensive board.