Donovan Mitchell, James Harden Lead Cavs to 3-2 Series Lead vs. Raptors as Fans React to Game 5 Win

The Cleveland Cavaliers took down the Toronto Raptors by the final score of 125-120 in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Wednesday night.

Led by Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, the Cavaliers now own a 3-2 series edge.

While the Raptors trimmed Cleveland's lead down to four points with 22 seconds left in the fourth quarter of Game 5, Harden connected on a free throw and Toronto couldn't score on its ensuing possession to seal the final result.

Mitchell finished with 19 points, five rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. He shot 7-of-17 from the field and 3-of-5 from behind the arc.

Meanwhile, Harden scored 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds while dishing out five assists. He connected on 53.8 percent of his shot attempts as well.

Fans and former players alike reacted to Cleveland's win.

While both teams struggled offensively in Game 4 of their series, that wasn't the case on Wednesday.

The Cavaliers led 38-34 at the end of the first quarter.

Cleveland only scored 29 points in the second quarter but Toronto continued to thrive, finishing with 40 points in the period and taking a 74-67 halftime lead.

The Raptors pushed their advantage to 12 points early in the third quarter, although the Cavs immediately responded with a 13-3 run to keep the game from getting out of hand.

While Toronto took another nine-point lead shortly afterwards, Cleveland continued to battle and only trailed 103-100 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Cavs excelled defensively in the fourth, as the Raptors didn't score their first point until just under eight minutes remained in the quarter.

Cleveland was able to hold off Toronto largely due to the heroics of backup point guard Dennis Schröder, who scored nine of his 19 points during the fourth quarter.

Evan Mobley served as a key contributor for the Cavs as well, scoring 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting while hitting all three of his long-range attempts. Mobley also racked up nine rebounds and three blocks.

For the Raptors, star forward Brandon Ingram only played 11 minutes before exiting the game due to a heel injury.

RJ Barrett finished with a team-high 25 points and 12 rebounds in Ingram's absence, but it wasn't enough for his squad to emerge victorious.

The series will now shift back to Toronto for Game 6 as Cleveland looks to advance to the second round.