4 keys for Cavs at Raptors Game 6: Can Donovan Mitchell break out of his slump?

CLEVELAND, OH - APRIL 29: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers is introduced before the game against the Toronto Raptors during Round One Game Five of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 29, 2026 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. 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 2026 NBAE (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images The Cleveland Cavaliers will have a chance to close out the Toronto Raptors in Game 6.

For them to do that, they’ll likely need a superstar performance from at least one of their best players. 1. Donovan Mitchell needs to be a more efficient scorer Stars often decide closeout games.

That will likely be the case here. The Cavs were able to win Game 5 due to strong performances from their role players. Dennis Schroder and Sam Merrill all had good showings off the bench, in addition to Evan Mobley reasserting the dominance he showed offensively in the first two games of the series.

Those outings allowed Cleveland to scrape by with another lackluster performance — by his standards — from Mitchell. They likely won’t have that luxury on Friday. One of the ways to tell if Mitchell is playing up to his capabilities is by tracking how efficiently he’s getting into the paint.