One of the worst displays of offensive basketball in years ended up being a footnote to one of the more exciting Raptors playoff games in ages. Almost nobody could hit two shots in a row — most could barely nail one — but somehow, the Toronto Raptors eked out a 93-89 victory over the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers to send this first-round series back to Ohio tied at 2-2.
Game Summary
The Raptors shot 4-for-30 on three-pointers, but the Cavs went 10-for-40 and were not as smothering defensively as the Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles-led Toronto juggernaut. A diving Jamal Shead forced an eight-second call late, RJ Barrett added to his playoff-leading fourth-quarter points total, and the Raptors pulled off the near miracle, much to the delight of the crowd.
Barnes had 23 points, the same as Brandon Ingram, but Ingram (6-for-23 shooting) and Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell (6-for-24 for 20 points) both had brutal shooting games. Still, Ingram had his moments, Barrett sprung to life in the fourth, Murray-Boyles had a double-double, Jakob Poeltl had a strong fourth, and the defense was suffocating.
Key Moments
Mitchell had appeared to put Cleveland in position to win with a 12-point, one-assist bonanza to give the team a six-point edge in the fourth, its biggest of the night. But Ingram hit a three-pointer, Barrett was rolling, and Shead followed his layup with an unreal diving play to force a turnover with 40.8 seconds left, Toronto trailing by a point.
Toronto turned to Barnes — who else? — and good screening freed Barnes up to get all the way to the rim. He missed a soaring, one-handed jam attempt that would have brought the house down, but was fouled. Barnes hit both free throws, but Cleveland still had a chance with 34.6 seconds left. Mitchell missed in the paint, Barnes hit two more free throws, and with 20.1 seconds left, Murray-Boyles did not let Mitchell get a good look at the rim on a three-point attempt.
Looking Ahead
A potential elimination game will now be played in Toronto on Friday. The Raptors will look to build on this hard-fought victory and take a 3-2 series lead.
