Raptors coach Rajaković explains what went wrong for Toronto in playoff opener

It was a rough return to the playoffs for the Toronto Raptors. 

On the road in Cleveland, they kept pace with the high-powered Cavaliers for the first half of Game 1. The second half was a different story.

Toronto went into halftime down seven points, before the Cavs came out in the third quarter firing on all cylinders.

Cleveland started the third on a 21-6 run, led by point guard Donovan Mitchell, who recorded a game-high 32 points, capitalizing on several Toronto Raptors turnovers.

Toronto was not able to claw back, losing 126-113.

The Raptors got dominated in the possession battle…

Cavs are: +14 on FGA +9 on Rebs +18 in the paint +9 second chance Raptors are +2 off turnovers but they aren’t getting out in transition. Their offense was good, despite usual flaws. Their defense failed them in G1. — Esfandiar Baraheni (@JustEsBaraheni) April 18, 2026

Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković alluded to the issue in his post-game press conference.

"Our biggest problem was that we were careless with the ball. We had 17 turnovers," said Rajaković. "Our offence was stagnant and did not have pace. We need to do better."

Another weak point Rajaković pointed to was rebounding.

"They had too many offensive rebounds; we have to do a much better job of controlling that," said Rajaković.

Cleveland's frontcourt duo of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley had their way against Raptors forwards Jakob Poeltl, Scottie Barnes, and Collin Murray-Boyles, outrebounding them 14-11 on the glass.

 

 

 

 

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Rajaković said he planned a lot of defensive rotations around Barnes, but two early fouls in the first quarter left the Toronto star out of the game until late in the second quarter.

He also wanted to get Brandon Ingram more involved offensively after leading the Raptors at the half with 17 points. Ingram was 0-for-2 in the second half and did not record a point.

"Right now, I need to take a look at the film and see what adjustments we can make to see how we can get better," said Rajaković.

RJ Barrett led the way for Toronto offensively, shooting 7-for-13 for 24 points. He also set a record for the most points recorded by a Canadian player on the Raptors in an NBA playoff game, passing former Toronto point guard Cory Joseph.

The Raptors were missing a very big piece in their starting rotation, with point guard Immanuel Quickley ruled out before Game 1 with right hamstring tightness.

Rajaković said post-game that having a player like Quickley out of the lineup is difficult.

"He does a big job of keeping us organized on offensive, and defensively, he's a player we feel comfortable throwing at any guard in the league."

Toronto will have a chance to even the series on Monday in Cleveland for Game 2, before heading home to play Game 3 on Thursday.