The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Toronto Raptors 114-102 in Game 7 of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series on Sunday night in Cleveland, winning the series 4-3 and advancing to the conference semifinals.

Jarrett Allen led the Cavaliers with 22 points and a playoff career-high-tying 19 rebounds, dominating the paint on both ends of the floor. Donovan Mitchell added 22 points on 9-of-20 shooting, including a step-back three-pointer and an ankle-breaking move early in the second half. Bench players Max Strus scored 12 points with eight rebounds and five assists, while Sam Merrill contributed 13 points on perfect three-point shooting.

The Cavaliers outrebounded the Raptors 60-33 overall, using their size advantage to pull away in the second half after trailing at points earlier. Cleveland built a lead it never relinquished after a dominant third quarter, similar to patterns in previous games.

Scottie Barnes paced Toronto with 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting, but the Raptors struggled with consistency despite leading portions of the game. The series was tied 3-3 entering Game 7 after Toronto's RJ Barrett hit a dramatic three-pointer at the end of overtime in Game 6 to force the decider, 112-110.

The matchup between the fourth-seeded Cavaliers and fifth-seeded Raptors featured high drama, with each team splitting games on the road and the series totaling exactly 669 points apiece through six games. Cleveland took Games 1 and 2 at home (126-113 and 115-105), dropped Games 3 and 4 in Toronto (126-104 and 93-89), won Game 5 (125-120), and lost Game 6 before closing it out Sunday.

Tensions boiled over late in Game 7, with players from both teams exchanging words, and Allen telling the Raptors to "go home" after the final buzzer. This marked the third Game 7 in the East's first round this year, highlighting the playoffs' competitiveness.

Cleveland now advances to face the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference semifinals after Detroit's Game 7 win over the Orlando Magic. The Cavaliers relied on home-court advantage in the clincher, protecting Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse as they did in past series like against the Magic last year.