The Toronto Raptors had a streak to end—and they ended it emphatically.
Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett each scored a career playoff-high 33 points as the Raptors demolished the Cleveland Cavaliers, 126-104, on Friday at home to cut the series deficit to 2-1 and snap a 12-game playoff losing streak against the Cavaliers—a run that stretched back to the 2016 Eastern Conference finals.
Game 4 is Monday, also in Toronto.
Barnes and Barrett Deliver for Raptors
Barnes was everywhere. He finished with 33 points, 11 assists, and five rebounds on 11-of-17 shooting—making three of five from deep and eight of 10 from the line—despite carrying three fouls into the halftime break. He did not pick up another for the rest of the game.
“He did everything for us tonight,” said Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic.
Barrett matched him point for point, finishing 6-of-8 from three-point range in a performance that was equally relentless. Collin Murray-Boyles added 22 points off the bench—making him the first Raptors rookie to score 20 or more in a playoff game—and Jamison Battle came alive in the fourth quarter, scoring all 14 of his points in the final period on 4-of-4 shooting from deep. Brandon Ingram chipped in 12.
“We knew we needed everybody for this win,” Barnes said. “It just goes to show how resilient, how bad we wanted it. We went out there and tried to do whatever it took.”
The Fourth Quarter Said Everything
Toronto led 83-81 heading into the fourth—tight enough for Cleveland to feel comfortable. Then the Raptors went 8-of-9 from three in the final period, outscoring the Cavaliers 43-23 to turn a competitive game into a statement.
That kind of fourth-quarter shooting buries teams. It buried Cleveland on Thursday.
Cleveland’s Struggles
The Cavaliers, who had matched the NBA postseason record for consecutive victories against a single opponent with their Game 2 win on Tuesday, could not extend the streak in Toronto.
Donovan Mitchell shot 7-of-16 and went 1-of-7 from three. Evan Mobley shot 4-of-13 and missed all four of his three-point attempts. James Harden led Cleveland with 18 points but shot just 5-of-13, going 3-of-10 from deep as Toronto’s defence made him work for every touch.
“They did a heck of a job,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson acknowledged of Toronto’s defensive effort on Harden. Max Strus and Mobley each finished with 15, and Jaylon Tyson added 13—but Cleveland’s 22 turnovers, which Toronto converted into 23 points, were the real story. You cannot give a team that is fighting for its playoff life that many free possessions.
What It Means
Cleveland’s 12-game streak against Toronto dated back to 2016, with sweeps in the second round in both 2017 and 2018 included in that run. It was a streak that defined the franchise’s postseason relationship with the Cavaliers for nearly a decade.
That losing streak is over now. Toronto knows it can win in this series. Game 4 just became a lot more interesting.
