NBA announces date for Game 1 of Cavs vs. Raptors first-round series

TORONTO, CANADA - NOVEMBER 24: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers handles the ball during the game against the Toronto Raptors on November 24, 2025 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers are locked into the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. In a twist that few saw coming, the Cavs will be taking on the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the playoffs.

Game 1 between the Cavs and Raptors will be on Saturday, April 18. The game will be broadcast exclusively on Prime.

The schedule for the rest of the games will be updated once the schedule is finalized.

• Game 1: Sat., April 18 at 1 PM on Prime – Cleveland
• Game 2: TBA – Cleveland
• Game 3: TBA – Toronto
• Game 4: TBA – Toronto
• Game 5: TBA – Cleveland
• Game 6: TBA – Toronto
• Game 7: TBA – Cleveland

Games five through seven will only be played if necessary.

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The Cavs haven’t fared well against the Raptors this season. They’ve dropped all three of their meetings, and none of them were particularly close. Each loss was by at least double digits.

How much you want to read into those games is up to you. Each game took place before December. The Cavs were without starting point guard — at the time — Darius Garland for each of those games, didn’t have Jarrett Allen for two of them, and were without Donovan Mitchell for one of them. Those absences had a tremendous impact on the game.

In addition to that, the Cavs struggled to keep up with the Raptors’ pace. Toronto was able to beat them in transition with their wings. We’ll see if the Cavs are able to adjust to that pace in the series.

This will be the fourth time the Cavaliers and Raptors have met in the playoffs. The Cavs have won all three previous meetings, which took place in three-consecutive seasons from 2016-18.