The Cleveland Cavaliers dominated the Toronto Raptors 126-113 in Game 1 of their first-round series on Saturday afternoon.

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers began their NBA playoffs journey with a statement performance Saturday afternoon, dominating the Toronto Raptors 126-113 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.

After going into halftime with a six-point lead, Cleveland stepped on the gas coming out of the break, outscoring the Raptors 36-22 in the third quarter to take full control of the game. Toronto was down by 20 points with five minutes left in the game when it waved the white flag and rested star forward Scottie Barnes for the remainder of the contest. 

As has become routine, Donovan Mitchell led the way for Cleveland, finishing with 32 points on 11 of 20 from the field. Max Strus added a crucial 24 points off the bench, while James Harden shot 8 of 18, including 4 of 7 on three-pointers, to bring his account to 22 points. Evan Mobley contributed 17 points and seven rebounds.

The Cavaliers will return to the friendly confines of Rocket Arena for Game 2 on Monday at 7 p.m. That game will air on Peacock and NBC Sports Network.

This story will be updated.